Skylanders: Origins
by Superdale33
Summary: Spyro did what he always did before he joined the Skylanders: fight evil and help others in need. Now that he is the very first one, Master Eon sends him to recruit more Skylanders to help him with this task. Not only will he discover different and interesting characters, but also their origins. Multiple pairings.
1. Chapter 1: All Fired Up

**Alright, so, I plan on making this very long, like about as many chapters I can fit. I plan on having every single Skylander to be in this, and give their origins. If you want your favorite Skylander sooner, and if it works in my story, than just write a review or PM me of who it is. Oh, this is so exciting.**

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**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 1: All Fired Up**

Worthwhile City was a truly stupendous town; it was rather small, but makes up for that with tall buildings. The place was almost always lit up during the night, and during the day, the many Mabu inhabitants walk to their jobs, restaurants, and other places. It was here, that Master Eon would hope to find what he was looking for.

After teleporting here using his magic, arriving in the City Square, he gazed upon his surroundings taking in the sights. The City Square had many trees and paths that decorated its area. After a minute, he took a breath of fresh air, and determinedly headed toward the Worth Library, which was just across the street from the park.

Climbing the stairs, he could see two statues depicting dragons laying down on the top steps of the library. The two were the founders of the great city: Worth and While. They were brothers with Worth being a dragon of knowledge and While being a dragon of strength. Together, they built Worthwhile City and named it after themselves. 'Big ego, those two had,' thought Eon happily.

Entering the double doors leading into the library, Master Eon was met with a large room with book shelves going to the ceiling and three levels of balconies leading to these books. Eon walked up to the front desk, where a female Mabu sat reading a newspaper.

Noticing the Portal Master, the Mabu quickly put away the newspaper, and engaged him in conversation, "Hello, sir," she said with a happy tone, "Welcome to the Worth Library, what book are you looking for today?"

Master Eon gave a smile, and said, "I'm looking for the Scrolls of the Ancients. I believe this library is the only one that holds them."

The woman gave a nod, "Of course, sir, right this way," she jumped off her chair and led Eon to the opposite end of the library. There, a door stood with a label next to it that read 'Archives'.

She turned back around to face Eon, "Down there, you should find the texts you're looking for," she explained, pointing to the door for emphasise.

"Thank you very much," Master Eon said, bowing slightly.

As the Mabu made her way back to her desk, Eon opened the door and entered to a very dark enviroment. He whispered some words, and the top of his staff glowed brightly, showing him a set of descending stairs. He walked down them without hesitation, and arrived to a room holding many old scrolls. He walked along the texts until he arrived to a shelf that held the Ancients' scrolls.

He pulled a chair from a nearby desk, placed his staff against the shelf, and began to search among these texts, one by one. After several minutes, he found the scroll he was searching for. He opened it carefully, so not to rip or tear it, and began to read:

_The purple dragons of legend truly deserve their titles. Through time, each generation has helped Skylands in tremendous ways. They have helped many a person without any regard for a reward. In fact, they don't even expect to be thanked, as doing a good deed is all one really needs. Though many of these dragons have joined the Skylanders, the amount of purple dragons has decreased through the centuries, to a point where they are seldom to find. However, the line of these magnificent creatures will never end, for if evil lurches, they will remain. To find one, though, is the challenge. Which is why we did a walkthrough on scroll 45._

Eon let out a sigh in annoyance; he had hoped he had found the scroll to find the purple dragon of legend, but was mistaken. Still, he stood up from his seat and began to search for scroll 45.

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As for the legendary purple dragon himself, or Spyro, he was busy living up to his heritage of fighting evil and helping people. A band of troll thieves called the Undertrolls were stealing gold and supplies from a village. Spyro, who heard the disturbance, came down to fight them off.

When he arrived, there were already numerous trolls running around causing mischief, with the Mabu villagers no where in sight. He landed, and gave a loud roar to grab the attention of the trolls. They froze in their positions, with one troll just about to bite into an apple, which he slowly did after a second. Spyro narrowed his eyes, daring them to make the first move.

One troll behind Spyro thought he had the upper hand. wielding his wrench, he snuck up to the dragon, and brought his wrench over his head, preparing to strike down. However, Spyro's tail slashed him instead, and he fell over on his back in defeat. This made the other trolls shout and charge at Spyro using their wrenches.

Spyro charged through the group in front of him, knocking them down like a bowling ball. He then used his fire breath on each troll individually, taking them out without much resistance. Soon, some trolls began to use their guns on him and fire bullets at Spyro. The dragon simply took to the air to dodge them, and then flew over one, and head slammed the ground, taking the troll out instantly.

He did this a few more times with a few others before returning to the ground below. He looked around, and saw that all the trolls were defeated, but the Mabu were still nowhere to be found.

Spyro knew that something wasn't right; whenever he stopped an evil force in a village, the inhabitants would always come out of their homes to see if it was safe once again. He approached the town hall, and peered inside to see a dark two-story room with the villagers cowering in the back.

Spyro gave a sympathetic smile, "It's alright," he said reassuringly. "All the trolls are gone. You don't have to hide any more."

The Mabu, however, didn't budge from their spot. This confused Spyro, and he entered the building to investigate further. As soon as he went through the door, it shut closed behind him, startling him, and then he heard evil laughter as a spotlight turned on to reveal a troll that wore crown and cape on top of a balcony. Said balcony was right above the Mabu.

"Kildan," Spyro whispered grimly.

Kildan, leader of the Undertrolls, gave another laugh before speaking with a high voice, "Hello, Spyro, so glad you could come by."

Spyro rolled his eyes, "Yeah, it was no big deal, I just thought that the Undertrolls needed a bit more thrashing, and here you are."

The leader narrowed his eyes, "Are you mocking me?" he asked honestly.

Spyro face palmed; Kildan was not the sharpest tool in the shed.

"Bah, whatever," Kildan waved off, "Attack!"

More trolls appeared on the balcony next to Kildan with grenades in hand. They pulled the pin and threw to where Spyro stood. Spyro, thinking fast, stood on his hind legs and gave a great push of his wings. The wind created by his wings threw the grenades right back at the grenadiers. They caught them, and started to jump up and down to celebrate, before the grenades blew up and knocked them down.

"Worthless!" yelled the leader, "I shall return, Spyro!" With that said, he turned around and ran to the door behind him, but forgot to open it and slammed right into it. Spyro stood there with a bored look, and Kildan opened the door and rushed out, leaving the hero with the villagers.

The Mabu cheered for being saved by Spyro, and the dragon took the compliments humbly; his heart not really into the mood.

After many goodbyes, Spyro spread his wings and flew back home.

To him, it never really felt like home. He lived alone; he never knew his parents, and he spent too much time patrolling the skies to make real friends. He got his food by hunting sheep, and drank from any stream he could find. His house was a cave in the Windy Mountains, not to far from the village, which is where he slept.

Entering his cave, he looked around to see his place once again. It was circular, and a bit small, but Spyro didn't mind. The only furniture was some pillows in the center as a bed, and a few torches for light.

He gave a sad sigh, "Alone, again."

He yawned, and climbed into his bed. He settled in, and laid his head upon a pillow, and thought about what it would be like to have friends and family. This was not an rare thought; he has thought about this almost every night since he could remember. Soon, his eyelids slowly closed, and he drifted off to sleep.

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In his dream, Spyro stood on a stage with eyes closed shut. He could hear cheering and shouting, and a few times he heard his own name be called. Curious, he opened his eyes, and gasped at the spectacle.

Many creatures stood in front of him, whom he has never seen before. Some were dragon-like, while others he could not recognize. They all seemed to be celebrating, but Spyro did not know why, or why he was on this stage. However, when he looked out into the crowd, he felt like he belonged here, like they were family.

In the real world, Spyro smiled in his sleep, with a single tear streaking from his closed eye.

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When Spyro woke, he could hardly remember any of the creatures looks, but still had the satisfaction of having a feeling of belonging. He yawned, and stretched his limbs and wings out to remove the stiffness that set in. His stomach growled, and he knew he had to find food for breakfast. So, without looking back, he walked to the cave's entrance and launched himself, and flew to the nearby islands to search for food.

After searching for about an hour, he heard more screaming and yelling. He followed the noise, and saw that it came from the village from yesterday.

'Twice in one week?' thought Spyro, 'that's unlike Kildan.'

As he looked down, he saw that the Undertrolls were attacking again, but their equipment was different. They had tanks and walking machines that were being driven by trolls. They were clearly heading towards the center of town, and from what Spyro could see, their was an old man dressed in an aged robe and hood on. He quickly flew over to this area, where the tanks and walking machines had already surrounded the poor man.

After studying the strange machines, Spyro saw that the machine had a troll head for a torso, with a nose that shot bullets. It walked on two bipedal legs, with a troll controlling it from the top. They aimed their weapons at the man, and Spyro took action. He breathed a large fire ball at the walking machine, which stumbled a little before aiming its weapon on the dragon. It fired its ammunition, and Spyro made maneuvers in the air to avoid being hit. He swung around again and fired another fire ball. This one made the machine explode, sending the troll on top flying out of sight.

Spyro did this multiple times, until a bullet hit his wing and he fell to the ground, right in front of the old man. The dragon groaned loudly, and stood back up with a bit of difficulty. The guns were aimed at him, and he quickly took a defensive stance to protect the man behind him. Strangely enough, the man hasn't budged from his spot, nor given any recognition of the machines surrounding him.

Between two tanks, Kildan walked past with a smile of pleasure, "Well, Spyro, you impressed yet?"

Spyro only growled, and bared his teeth, and the leader continued. "The man who gave these machines to me was quite nice, and he only asked one thing: that I destroy you and that old man," he laughed heartily after that.

Spyro was confused, "Wait, someone gave these things to you? You didn't build them?"

Kildan snorted, "Of course not! We are too stupid to think up of such great contraptions." He paused to think about what he said, "Did I just call us stupid?"

Spyro face palmed again, but recovered and replied, "Who gave those things to you?" He angrily questioned.

Kildan turned around with arms crossed, "I'm not telling, and you can't make me."

With his back turned, Spyro breathed a small amount of fire that was just enough to light the leader's pants on fire without him noticing. He didn't realize this until he sniffed smoke, and looked down. After which, he ran around in circles screaming, with the troll pilots operating the mechanisms laughing hard. With this distraction, Spyro charged at the nearest tank and hit it, causing it to flip and crash into another. He followed up by breathing more fire balls at the other machines. In a few minutes, all of them were destroyed, and with Kildan still trying to put out the fire.

Kildan had found a bucket of water and jumped in to extinguish the flames. There was a hiss of steam and he sighed with content. Spyro walked up to him with anger in his eyes.

The leader saw this, and laughed nervously, "No hard feelings?" he tried.

Spyro charged at the bucket and launched the screaming troll quite far. The dragon gave a nod of satisfaction and heard clapping. He turned around to see the old man clapping his hands to Spyro's performance. The dragon was used to such praise, and only nodded in the man's direction before preparing to take flight.

"Hold on, young dragon," exclaimed the man.

Spyro looked at back at him, wondering why the man would stop him. The man removed his hood to show his face, and grinned, "I am Master Eon, and I am a Portal Master."

Spyro tilted his head, "Portal Master?"

Master Eon brought a hand to his chin in thought, "Hmm, I guess it would be better if I explained from the beginning."

Spyro didn't want to be rude, so he sat down, and focused his attention to the old man. Eon cleared his throat, and began his story, "A Portal Master is the leader of the Skylanders, a group of heroes who help fight evil. I am, sadly, the last good Portal Master, however, and the Skylanders of old are gone now."

Master Eon closed his eyes with head down in remembrance. And Spyro wasn't sure if he should coax the man to continue. It wasn't necessary, as Eon looked back up, "I have come to you to ask if you would like to join, Spyro."

The purple dragon was taken back; He has never been asked to be part of a group such as this.

"But what did I do to deserve this, sir?" he asked politely.

Master Eon chuckled, and made a gesture to the wreckage of troll machines, "Do your actions not speak for themselves, young dragon?"

"I've done this almost every week for as long as I can remember," told Spyro, "and what makes me different from anybody else who helps others?"

Master Eon paused in thought, and then spoke, "After losing the previous Skylanders, I have searched for anyone who could become one. I stumbled across the Purple Dragons of Legend, and learned of your species existence. For you have a long line of ancestors who fought off evil."

Spyro hopes rose for a moment, "Do you know what happened to my parents then?"

Master Eon gave a sad sigh, "I do not, but you can continue their legacy and join the Skylanders."

Spyro gazed at the floor in thought; if he accepted, he could continue to fight the forces of evil, however, he prefered to work alone. Then, he remembered the dream he had last night. Was this what it was indicating?

He looked back up to Master Eon's eyes, which made the dragon relax slightly. He gave a cocky grin, and stood back up with determination, "I'll join the Skylanders."

Eon gave a grand smile, "Excellent, young dragon! Now, there is no time to lose!" He hit the ground with his staff, and their was a bright light. Spyro covered his eyes with his paws to protect himself. When he looked again, he wasn't in the village anymore.

In front of him was a large tower with a domed top. Turning around he saw much more; many other islands held more buildings with domes on the top. It was a magnificent sight. He was currently standing on a Portal device with Master Eon beside him, staring with jaw dropped.

Master Eon noticed this and chuckled, "Welcome, young dragon, to the Ruins."

Spyro closed his mouth and looked at Master Eon, puzzled, "Why is it called the Ruins, if it's not in ruin?" he asked.

Eon shook his head, "I do not know either, except that is what the ancients called it."

Spyro gave a nod of understanding, and jumped off the Portal to look around. The portal was on a porch that was connected to the tower, so he looked over the railing to the meadow below. "So I'm the first new Skylander?"

Eon walked up beside him and nodded, and then his face lit up in realization. "Oh, I have someone to introduce you to," he announced, "Follow me."

He turned around and headed to the doorway leading into the tower, Spyro followed, curious to who it could be.

The room they entered had a brilliant red carpet with two bookshelves just across from the doors. Next to the shelves, Spyro could see a mole-like Mabu with a green jacket and a backpack full of books, he was reading through a book with his back to them, "No, no, that won't work," Spyro heard him mumble.

"Hello, Hugo!" Master Eon exclaimed, and surprising Hugo and making him jump. He whipped around and Spyro could see the round glasses he wore.

"Oh, hello Master Eon," he then noticed Spyro, "Who is this?"

Spyro walked up to him and introduced himself, "I'm Spyro, I'm kind of new here."

Hugo stared at him for a second, then his eyes went wide and he had a large grin, "You're a Purple Dragon of Legend!" He said excitedly.

Spyro felt a little awkward about being called that, but nodded.

Hugo ran up to Master Eon, who was enjoying the scene the Mabu was putting up, "Master Eon, you found him, just like you said you would."

"Of course, Hugo," Eon exclaimed, "Did you expect me to fail?"

Hugo scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "Well, no, but, uh, I just..." he stuttered.

Master Eon laughed, and Spyro did as well, prompting Hugo to let out a sigh of relief.

"Now, young dragon," Eon settled down, getting to business, "I give you your first and most important quest."

Spyro waited patiently, excited about what it would be.

"To find more Skylanders to join us," he finished with a smile.

Spyro was surprised by this, "Wait, can't you do that? I mean, recruit other Skylanders?"

Hugo answered for Master Eon, "Oh no, he made an exception for you to find the leader of the Skylanders, and now that he did, it's your turn to find and lead them."

'So, I have to find people worthy enough of being a Skylander, and lead them in other missions, huh?' he thought to himself. He gave a big smile, and bowed gracefully, "I accept this quest with honor," he said proudly.

Master Eon nodded, "And so your adventure begins, young dragon."

Spyro walked back outside to the Portal, and looked to the sky. 'Who knows? Maybe I'll find that family I've always wanted.'

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**So what do you think? Remember if you want your favorite Skylander sooner in my story, you have to tell me. Anyway, see ya next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2: Fear the Fish

**I'm back, and I hope you like this! Nothing much to say here right now...**

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**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 2: Fear the Fish**

Spyro still could not believe he was part of the Skylanders. He may have only known about this group for half a day, but he felt like he was going to make a bigger difference in Skylands than he ever did before. As of right now, Master Eon and Hugo decided to give the dragon a tour of his new home.

They were in the wide meadow that was overlooked by Master Eon's tower, which is called Eon Tower, and this is where they began.

"This is the general hub of the Ruins," Hugo explained to Spyro, as Eon stayed back aways. "Here, other Skylanders can chat, hang out, or prepare for missions."

Spyro gave a sweep of the area; it was fairly large, with some trees near the edge of the island that were the borders. "I can see this place being filled up pretty quickly," he joked.

Hugo chuckled, "Yes, it will definitely become crowded eventually, now follow me." He then turned around and walked to a wide, but short building that was just opposite of Master Eon's tower.

Spyro could see many long rows of tables with chairs next to them. On the far side, he could barely make out what looked like a buffet table. "This is the Mess hall. If ever you're hungry, you can come by here to grab a bite to eat," Hugo said.

The purple dragon's stomach growled, and he realized he still hasn't eaten at all today. "What type of foods are there?" He asked eagerly.

Hugo thought for a second, and spoke rather fast, "Steak, chicken, ham, bacon, eggs, apples, oranges, pies, mutton, cake, pretzels, cookies, sandwiches, Pizza, and cheese."

The whole time Hugo named the foods, Spyro's mouth salivated more and more. When he finished, the dragon's mouth was wide open with his tongue hanging out. He began walking over to the buffet table in a trace like way.

Hugo noticed this and grabbed Spyro's tail, "Where are we going? We still have much to show you." He expressed in a happy tone.

Spyro started to claw at the ground, trying to reach the delectable food with no success. Hugo turned around, still holding Spyro's tail, and walked out of the Mess Hall with Spyro's claws running through the floor.

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Hugo had dragged him for quite a while, until Spyro finally gave up and began walking with head hung low. Master Eon and Hugo were now taking Spyro to a couple of buildings behind the Mess Hall, with odd symbols displayed outside above the entrance.

Master Eon presented this time, "These are the housings of the Skylanders. You can rest and sleep here in your own room."

Spyro pointed to the nearest building's symbol, "What are those wierd signs on the buildings?" he asked curiously.

Eon chuckled, "That's right, I haven't told you yet, have I?" he said almost to himself.

Spyro raised a brow, "Told me what?"

"Well, each Skylander is put in an elemental group, a common ability tier that they share, " he explained.

Spyro was enthusiastic, "Really? What element am I?"

"You, young dragon, are the element of Magic."

"Magic," Spyro repeated to himself in wonder, and then looked back at Eon "What are the other elements? And what do these elements do?"

"There are eight elements in total: Magic, Earth, Water, Fire, Tech, Undead, Life, and Air. These elements make up Skylands, and certain areas are more influenced then others. Sometimes, these areas can only be accessed by Skylanders of the same element."

"I see..." Spyro said excitedly; More Skylanders would have to fill these slots, and that means more people to meet.

"I should also mention," Eon added, "that each element group also has its own captain as well. You are, of course, captain of Magic."

Spyro smiled at the thought, 'This just gets more interesting by the second.' He wondered what other things he missed when he was at Windy Mountain.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Eon and Hugo beginning to walk off to continue the tour. He shook his head, and trotted off after them.

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On a completely different island, connected by a wooden bridge, was the Training Arena. Eon told Spyro that this is where the Skylanders can fight each other for practice, and hone their skills.

The purple dragon was fascinated by this, and was even more intrigued when Hugo mentioned training dummies. He decided to give this a try and test them.

Spyro stood in the center of the arena, awaiting Hugo to start the battle. The Mabu himself was in an observation tower with Eon by his side. "Are you ready, Spyro?" he yelled from above.

"I'm ready for anything!" he boasted, "Let's do this!"

Hugo pressed some buttons and pulled a few levers in front of him. This began a chain of dummies to pop out from the ground for Spyro to attack, which he did. Every time one jumped out he blasted it with his fire breath. This made the dragon slightly bored, thinking it was more like target practice than actual training.

When the simulation was finished, Hugo and Eon climbed back down to Spyro's level, and walked over to him. "So," Hugo said eagerly, "What did you think?"

The dragon rubbed the back of his head, "Well, it wasn't very challenging," he responded honestly. "But I'm sure when more Skylanders join, it will be a lot funner."

Master Eon nodded and made a gesture toward the bridge for them to continue the tour.

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Spyro's jaw was wide open in wonder; how could he not have seen this until five seconds ago? It was literally right behind Eon's tower... and it was shooting light from the top!

The trio were standing in front of the Core of Light: the benevolent machine that kept light in Skylands and held the darkness at bay.

Hugo had an indifferent look on him, "This was built by me of course, it took months of preparation, but-"

"Hugo..." Master Eon warned sternly, but with a cheery face.

the Mabu fumbled with his fingers embarrassingly, "Uh, I mean, It was built by the Ancients long ago."

Spyro was confused, "Wait, why did you say that you built it?"

Master Eon stepped up and answered for Hugo, with a slight chuckle, "Hugo wants to be remembered and thinks that lying about who built the Core of Light will grant that."

Spyro laughed, and Hugo grew a bit irritated, "Yes, well, moving on..." he uttered grudgedly.

"Hugo," Eon called, "We showed him everything already."

Hugo was surprised and looked around to confirm Master Eon's claim. Spyro chuckled, and looked up to Eon, "Thank you for showing me around," he thanked, "Now if you'll excuse me."

The dragon ran with great speed toward the Mess Hall, tongue hanging out in anticipation.

Master Eon laughed, and Hugo managed to chuckle despite his bad mood. The Portal Master then turned to face Hugo, and instructed, "Can you begin a list of all the Skylanders that will be joining?"

Hugo's annoyance disappeared, "Yes, Master Eon," he stated, before walking back to Eon Tower. Master Eon followed behind at a slow pace.

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"Oh, man!" Spyro shouted with pleasure, "Look all this food!"

Where he stood, there was loads of food that Hugo had mentioned. He looked at each one with hunger in his eyes, deciding which one to eat first. The dragon settled with a chicken leg and brought it over to a nearby table. Without pause, he began munching on the leg.

He did this with other foods including the steak, ham, and bacon; he really likes meat. As he was chewing a bone in content, he heard someone enter the Mess Hall. He looked over to see Master Eon with a serious look approaching him.

"Spyro," he said, "I have felt an evil occurrence."

The dragon jumped off the chair he sat on and walked up to the old man. "You can feel evil?"

Master Eon nodded, "I can tell when an evil intention has arisen," he explained, "and when I do, I send the Skylanders to prevent it or, at least, stop it if it is too late."

Spyro furrowed his brows and nodded.

"Now, this occurrence is at Misty Lagoon. I can not tell you what you will meet, so be prepared," Eon advised. After that was said, he turned around and headed for the exit with Spyro following him.

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They both made their way to Maser Eon's tower, and up to the Portal of Power. Once there, Eon turned to face Spyro, "Hop on this, young dragon," he instructed.

The purple dragon complied, and stood there, ready for whatever would happen.

"Now, this is your first mission, but I know you will do fine," Eon reassured.

Spyro gulped, and nodded. Master Eon used his magic and Spyro could see the bright light again, but he didn't cover his eyes this time. Instead, he just closed them and waited for the process to be over.

When he opened them again, he found himself in a swamp-ish area, with trees, thick bushes, and moist floor. Turning his head in different directions, he could not see any 'evil' activity.

'Do I just walk around until I find it?' he thought. He decided to do just that, since he had no other idea of what to do. He walked around for some time, searching for anything that indicated a bad guys presence, but nothing came up.

He was growing impatient, and the thickening fog did not help in the slightest. Only when he banged his head into a tree, did he truly snap. "Where the heck is this evil thing?!" he yelled.

Suddenly, he heard a twig snap from behind him, scaring him for a second before he whipped around to only see the fog. The forest was dead quiet, with only the sound of his breathing and heartbeat that could be heard. He slowly moved forward, weary of anything that could pop out.

'This is ridiculous,' he thought to himself, 'I'm sure it was my imagination. Maybe Master Eon made a mistake and there isn't any evil, or...' He suddenly became nervous; had the evil doers already escaped? Had he failed his first mission already?

The next thing he knew, he hit something again, and fell on his back from the impact. He heard a clicking of a weapon and could feel the presence of it being aimed at him.

"Who are you?" an unfamiliar voice asked aggressively.

"I could ask the same thing," Spyro retorted, standing back up.

The fog began to clear very fast, and in a blink of an eye, he could see the weapon pointed right at his head. He didn't see the creature holding it, since the harpoon, which he recognized as being the weapon, took up his entire view.

"I asked first, buddy," the figure shot back.

Spyro sighed, "Fine, name's Spyro, I was sent here to find anything evil. But..." He trailed off, not sure where to go from there. The creature lowered his harpoon to show who he was. He was a light blue fish creature with a navy blue clothing and two large wooden tanks on his back. He held a suspicious look at Spyro, unsure if he should trust him.

"What the heck are you?" Spyro asked before he could stop himself.

"I'm a Gillman!" He snapped, a bit angry that he had to explain this. "And why are you here anyway?"

The dragon decided to convince him of his good intentions, "Look, I'm just a Skylander trying to-"

"A Skylander!" The Gillman shouted in surprise.

Spyro was a bit shocked by his exclamation, "Uh, yes, I was sent by Master Eon to-"

"Master Eon!" he interrupted again, with awe on his face.

Afraid of being interrupted again, Spyro merely nodded. And the Gillman became ecstatic. He grabbed the dragon's paw and shock vigorously, to Spyro's dismay. "Gill Grunt's my name," he said happily, "pleasure to meet a Skylander."

He released Spyro's paw, and the dragon retracted it with a moan because it was now sore. "Nice to meet you," he managed to squeeze out.

"Hey, you can help me out with my search," Gill Grunt suggested.

"_your _search?" Spyro asked, rubbing his paw.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a beautiful Mermaid," he explained

"Mermaid?" The purple dragon puzzledly asked.

The Gillman rubbed his chin, sat down on a tree stump, and lowered his weapon, "Perhaps I should tell you my whole story," he admitted.

Spyro let out a groan, "Sure, why not, it's not if I'm busy or anything." he said sarcastically.

"Great! Take a seat, I'll give you the short version," Gill Grunt said, not taking the hint, which made Spyro face palm in exasperation.

Gill Grunt cleared his throat, "I always wanted a little adventure in life," he began. "So I joined the Gillman marines for just that. My first tour of duty was in this very place, and it was also here where I met... _her_." saying the last word in a dramatic way.

Spyro rolled his eyes, "Oh brother," he mumbled.

"Her name was Lisa, and she was the most beautiful mermaid I have ever met. It was love at first sight, and I vowed that I would return to her. Keeping my promise, I did, and here I am."

Gill Grunt was in a daze as he smiled with the memory of the mermaid. Spyro was trying hard not to gag; He didn't mind romance, but this Gillman was going a little over the top. He waited to make absolutely sure that he was finished before speaking. "Soooo... You're looking for this... Lisa?"

"Of course, now, will you help me?" he asked eagerly.

Spyro knew that he couldn't just leave the poor Gillman, and it was his job as a Skylander to help people who asked. With a sigh, he reluctantly agreed.

Gill Grunt jumped from his seat with a cheer, and with a motion to follow, he ran toward what looked like a body of water.

Spyro shook his head, 'He's pretty odd,' he concluded, 'but he's also kind of nice... could he be a Skylander?' He then jogged to catch up to the Gillman, who was jumping up and down waving his hands to get Spyro's attention.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

They walked side by side, with Spyro scowling slightly, and Gill Grunt having a stupidly happy face. The duo was headed toward the lagoon that made up most of the Misty Lagoon. This is where, apparently, Gill Grunt's friend was.

"Wait 'til you meet her," he commented, "She's great to talk to, and she's beautiful... Did I say that already?"

Gill Grunt continued his babbling all the way to the body of water, and when they arrived, the Gillman shouted out with joy evident in his voice, "Lisa! I came back, just like I said I would!"

They stood there, waiting for the mermaid to appear, but the water did not move. With every minute that passed, Gill Grunt's hope diminished. He would give a shout every once in a while, but nothing stirred.

"Maybe you can swim and look for her," Spyro suggested.

The Gillman's hope skyrocketed, and he jumped in the pool without hesitation. This made a splash that fell on Spyro, soaking and irritating him. Spyro waited only a few moments until Gill Grunt emerged from the lagoon with a worried expression.

"She's not in the water at all!" he told Spyro, "She can't leave the water; it's the only place she can live!"

At that moment, something caught the dragon's eye. It was off to the side, and it reflected light. He walked cautiously to it, and noticed that it was a sword sticking out of the ground. What he found around it was more shocking.

The area he arrived in was open and it held many things. Empty barrels, burnt logs, and most significant was a pirate flag, that fell limp from the lack of wind.

Gill Grunt had followed Spyro to this location, and his face changed from a surprised look to a face of absolute anger.

"Pirates," he whispered, "They kidnapped her." He dropped to his knees, banged his fist on the ground, and gave an angry yet saddened yell.

Spyro looked from the Gillman to the area with a horror expression. He felt frustration boil within him, 'He lost his friend, and I don't know what to do.'

Gill Grunt remained on the ground for some time, with Spyro desperately trying to think of a way to comfort him. However, he was still new to the companion aspect, and did not know how to do that.

The Gillman leaned on his knees with head hung low, "I... What do I do know? Where do I go?" he stammered.

Spyro thought very hard now; he had to come up with something to help him. What could the dragon give Gill Grunt to help him find his girlfriend? And it hit him.

"Gill Grunt," He said determinedly, looking straight at him, "I can only think of one thing you can do."

Gill Grunt focused his eyes on Spyro, but kept his head down. Spyro puffed out his chest, and said, "Become a Skylander."

The Gillman was surprised to hear this, and sputtered, "Me... a Skylander? How... Why..."

"If you become one not only will you help fight evil, but you can visit other places that the pirates might've run off to," the dragon explained.

Gill Grunt was still in shock, and he ran a hand through his fins on his head. "A Skylander..."

"So," Spyro said, a bit frightened of what his answer will be, "Will you join me?"

The Gillman used his harpoon as leverage to stand back up. He held a blank face, but it slid to a grin. "I will help you against evil, Spyro," He expressed.

Spyro's heart gave a leap; he had finally recruited his first Skylander.

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After that discussion, Spyro was trying to figure out how to return back to the Ruins. This amused Gill Grunt as he watched the dragon's failed attempts. Spyro was pacing back and forth in front of the Gillman muttering words to himself as he tried to think of how to get back home.

"Maybe I can fly back, but it's too far away. What if we catch a ride... Who would come here?"

Gill Grunt chuckled, "Might as well yell out to Master Eon to teleport us back."

Spyro froze, and looked up to Gill Grunt with a smile, "Worth a try!"

The dragon looked up to the sky, "Master Eon, I'm ready to return. With a guest," he hastily finished. After a second, a flash of white appeared, and the next thing they knew, they were standing on the Portal of Power. Gill looked around with an awed expression, taking in the sights of the Skylander's base. Master Eon walked from his tower and up to the duo, smiling.

"I see you brought a new Skylander, young dragon," He said softly. Then speaking to Gill Grunt, "A pleasure to meet you."

The Gillman gave a nervous smile, "The pleasure is all mine, Master Eon."

"Now for the ceremony," emphasized Eon as he hit the floor with his staff.

"Ceremony?" Spyro asked aloud, as the water element symbol emerged from Eon's staff.

Eon nodded, "When a Skylander joins, he must go through this ceremony to be a full fledged member."

"So, why didn't I do this ceremony?" Spyro questioned confusedly

"You were the first Skylander, young dragon. So you are an exception because of that."

He turned to Gill Grunt, who was standing up straight, like in the military. "Name?" Eon asked gently.

"Gill Grunt," the Gillman claimed boldly.

Gill Grunt," Eon exclaimed, "You are now the captain of the water element."

The Gillman threw his harpoon in the air as a celebration and caught it, lifting it over his head. Spyro laughed; This was only the start of a long adventure, and he was liking it already.

* * *

**Sorry there wasn't any action in this chapter, there'll defiantly be some in the next chapter. Anyway, again, tell me what Skylanders you want next and, if they fit with my story, I'll write them. Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3: No Gold, No Glory

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 3: No Gold, No Glory**

Gill Grunt was pacing impatiently in front of the Magic sleeping quarters. He told Spyro last night that he wanted to train with him and to go to sleep early. However, the purple dragon hasn't come down yet, and time was ticking.

Stopping his pacing to look up to the window of Spyro's room, Gill Grunt shouted, "Spyro! Will you wake up already!"

The Gillman could hear some groaning and saw Spyro poke his head out. He looked rather tired with eyes half closed and with bags under them.

"I will in like," Spyro stared into space a second before finishing, "an hour."

With that said, the dragon disappeared back in his room, leaving an irritated Gillman at his doorstep. Using his harpoon, Gill Grunt aimed it into the open window and released a stream of water. It took a while, but the Gillman was able to send the water into the window. When he did, he could hear a yelp of surprise, and sputtering. He stopped his attack, and waited with a sly smile.

The door burst open in front of him, showing a wet and mad Spyro. "Now you're going to get it," he threatened.

Gill Grunt gave a grin, and took off with water shooting out of his barrels on his back. This allowed him to fly away from the dragon for the moment, but he knew Spyro wasn't going to let him off that easily.

Spyro had followed him straight toward the Training Arena. This is where they planned to show each other their abilities, and Gill Grunt's idea to upset the dragon to get him to fight him at the arena was working.

When the Gillman landed in the ring, he whipped around just in time to dodge an incoming fire ball courtesy of Spyro.

The dragon gave a cocky grin, "You want a fight, I'll give you a fight!"

He then shot a load of fire balls at Gill Grunt. Thinking fast, the Gillman used his Power Hose to douse the incoming projectiles. In retaliation, he fired harpoons at Spyro. The dragon rolled to dodge most of them, but got hit by one. Grunting from the impact, he charged with horns pointed at Gill Grunt. The Gillman tried to run in the opposite direction, but wasn't quick enough and got hit from behind, sending him skidding on the ground.

He got up quickly and Spyro could see him start to charge something up. He widened his eyes at what that was: A giant anchor that replaced his harpoon ammo.

"Oh, shoot-" was all Spyro could say before the anchor slammed into him and knocked him on his back. He could see stars around his head as his eyes were rolling in circles in his sockets.

"I think you won that one, Gill," he remarked in a dazed voice.

Gill Grunt chuckled and wielded his Harpoon Gun with pride, "I wouldn't be called a Skylander if I wasn't good in combat."

"Got that right," Spyro replied, standing back up, still feeling a bit dizzy.

"Young dragon!" A head of Eon exclaimed right in front of Spyro, scaring him again onto his back.

He stood back up as fast as he could to salvage some of his pride, but was still confused at Eon's sudden appearance, "Uh, Master Eon?"

"That is me," he stated calmly.

"I know it's you," Spyro said, "but you're... a head."

"And you look like a ghost," added Gill Grunt as he walked up to stand by Spyro, facing the floating Eon. Master Eon, of course, did have a slightly transparent look.

"I suppose I forgot to mention at Gill Grunt's ceremony," Eon grinned, "that this is how I'll summon you when I sense an evil presence."

"Oh, well then," Spyro said with understanding, "do you sence an evil presence?"

Eon nodded, "For the sake of convenience, Skylanders, we shall call it the Shade Alarm."

"Shade Alarm?" Spyro and Gill Grunt asked, puzzled.

Eon chuckled, "Nicknames are quite nice, but there is no time for small talk. Please meet me at my tower."

Spyro's and Gill's faces turned to a look of concentration. "Right away, Master Eon," Spyro said.

The Portal Master nodded, and his image quickly shrunk until it was gone. The duo rushed across the bridge that connected the Training Arena to the meadow and dashed towards Eon Tower.

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Spyro and Gill Grunt found Eon facing the Portal of Power on the porch. When they entered, Master Eon turned around with a serious look. "As I said before, there is a Shade Alarm."

Eon walked up to them, and said, "It is at the town of Buzzard in the west. Are you ready?"

Both the Skylanders nodded and stepped on the Portal of Power for transport.

"Before you go, Skylanders, there is something you should know."

Spyro and Gill stood silent for his response.

"If you ever need to return to a location you've been to, you may at your leisure."

"That's nice," commented Gill Grunt.

Master Eon nodded, "Yes, it's especially useful when I'm not around. But I digress, you must go."

Eon used his staff and the two Skylanders were whisked off.

The light cleared up, and they could see an old frontier town not to far off. They stood on the edge of the island with the tinge of the setting being an orange color. Near where they teleported, was a sign that said: Welcome to Buzzard; Population 21. They walked up to the town, and soon learned of its uniqueness.

The town itself was shaped like a 'T', with the main street being where the duo now walked. On either side of them were shops for food, clothing, and furniture. At the intersection at the end of the road was the Town Hall, and to its left was the bank. However, that wasn't what they were staring at.

The citizens of the small town, who were all huddled together, were now going their separate ways with delight evident on their faces. In the distance, the two Skylanders could see some dragons flying away. Upon further inspection, it was revealed that there were people riding them.

Gill Grunt glanced around before looking at Spyro with confusion. "What happened here?" he asked.

"I don't know," Spyro answered, "but we will in a second."

He walked to the nearest Mabu and asked, "Do you know what just happened here?"

The Mabu citizen stopped walking and turned to face the dragon with happiness. "Of course!" he admitted, "A few minutes ago, some bandits tried to rob the local supply store." He pointed to the store for emphasize.

"But before they could run off with the money, a strange orange creature walked up with these two golden guns and just started shooting them. The bandits were surprised by this, and fled town. We went to thank the creature, but he disappeared before we could."

Spyro gazed at the horizon in thought, 'So he stopped the bandits, but then left? Who is this guy?'

He looked back at the Mabu and thanked him. The citizen walked off with his happiness still radiating off him.

"So what do you think?" Gill Grunt asked as he walked up to Spyro.

The dragon shook his head, "Can't say; it sounds like his intentions are good, but I don't know for sure."

"It sounds like he could be a potential Skylander to me," Gill Grunt inquired, rubbing his chin.

Spyro nodded, "So did I, but if we can't find him, we can't recruit him."

"So let's find him," Gill stated flatly.

"It can't be that easy, Gill. Where do we even start?"

"We _start_," the Gillman responded, "by asking around. We'll collect info and then meet back up at the edge of town."

"Sounds like a plan," the dragon agreed. They split up in different directions and began asking each Mabu they met about the mysterious hero.

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It was at least an hour before they both decided to head to the rendezvous point. When they met up they pooled their information together, and learned many things. For one, the hero was short with long ears. Another feature is that he can apparently throw a safe at his enemies. There was even a rumor that he can merge his guns to make a machine gun, but the duo discarded that fact.

"Alright," Spyro spoke up, "We learned a lot about him, but we still don't know where he is."

"On the contrary, Spyro," Gill Grunt objected, "we just have to wait for an attack by those bandits again and he'll show up."

Spyro thought about this idea; It seemed sound enough, but he didn't want to use the town as bait. On the other hand, it would allow him and Gill to fight these bandits and hopefully kick 'em out of Buzzard for good. After thinking about it, it seemed like the best plan they could come up with.

They headed back into town, and realized that their were dragons with saddles on them near the bank. The bandits were already robbing it, so the duo ran into a nearby alley and waited. Spyro didn't like this one bit; He wanted to teach those bandits a thing or two, but he also knew that he had to recruit as many Skylanders as possible.

From their point of view, Spyro and Gill Grunt could see the bandits exit the bank with bags of money in their hands. The Skylanders could see that they were Cyclopes with big cowboy hats. Spyro looked around frantically for the mysterious hero while Gill Grunt focused his eyes on the bandits. With no sign of the other hero, Spyro grew more and more antsy to take them down. Before he could even announce his intentions, a gold coin flew from their right and hit a bandit square in the face.

"Whoa!" whispered Gill excitedly, "Did you see that!?"

"Yeah," Spyro said slowly, surprised by the sudden attack.

The cyclopes looked to the source of the attack, as did the hidden heroes, and saw a small orange creature with two golden guns with tongue hanging out.

'So that's our guy, huh?' Spyro thought to himself, 'Okay, let's see how good he is.'

"Oh! He's a Gremlin!" Gill Grunt exclaimed quietly.

Spyro faced him with a raised eyebrow, "What's a Gremlin?"

"No one really knows," the Gillman said in a creepy voice, "They're actually quite rare, and only their name and appearance is ever given." He turned back to face the scene with a confused expression, "I wonder where he came from?"

A certain Cyclops stepped up from behind the others, with a weird looking mustache and a bowler hat. "So, you're the one who drove my men out of town, eh?" he sneered, "The name's Wilson, the leader of the Overeyes, and who are you?"

The Gremlin merely laughed hysterically, making the leader angry, "Stop laughing and answer my question!" he yelled. Without waiting, Wilson pointed a finger at him and bellowed, "Get him!"

The four guys behind him came out with axes, ready to strike the creature. The Gremlin himself was unfazed however, and only darted his eyes over each enemy. Eventually, all the cyclopes charged at the hero, axes raised high.

As soon as they did, the Gremlin began shooting like a mad man taking them all down in under a quarter of a minute. The leader stood with jaw dropped, as did Spyro and Gill Grunt.

"Well," Gill hesitantly said, "At least we know that he's worthy of being a Skylander."

Spyro didn't move to respond to the Gillman, still staring at the creature who had taken down those four cyclopes. 'That was amazing,' he thought to himself, 'He has to be a Skylander.'

The leader shook his head and gained his composure with a grin. "So what if you took down some of my boys in no time flat." he disregarded, "_I_ was smart enough to bring reinforcements."

Wilson whistled, and when he did, about 25 more cyclopes jumped out of various places: the rooftops, other alleyways, houses, and even an outhouse.

The Gremlin frowned slightly as he saw himself be surrounded by the cyclopes who all had axes. The leader gave a smirk before boasting, "We have never lost a battle with these numbers, buddy. So just walk away, and we'll forget this ever happened."

The Gremlin blinked two times, before bursting out laughing. The surrounding bandits looked at each other with puzzlement, and the leader could only stare at him with anger in his eyes. "What the heck is so funny?!" he shouted.

The creature started to calm down, with a chuckle now and then before answering, "First off, I'm Trigger Happy, nice to meet ya. Second, I also have friends who can help me."

This caused Spyro and Gill to look at each other in confusion, "And they're right over there!" the Gremlin known as Trigger Happy finished.

This caused the duo to stare at each other with wide eyes, as all the cyclops turned their eyes toward them. The two Skylanders slowly broke off from their focus to gaze at the group of eyes staring at them.

Gill Grunt laughed nervously and waved, "Uh, hey fellas, what's up?"

Behind the group of bandits, Trigger Happy jumped up and down from the back waving and saying with each jump, "Hey!...Thanks for...coming to...help me!"

Spyro shook off his shock, and went into a aggressive stance, growling slightly. Gill Grunt saw this and pointed his Harpoon Gun at them with determination on his face. Finally, some cyclopes charged at them to attack.

Spyro took flight to avoid them and attack from the sky, while the Gillman used his Power Hose. This kept the enemies from getting to close to Gill Grunt, and also defeated a couple of bandits. Meanwhile, Spyro was in the air attacking with his fire breath taking out some cyclopes and dodging any axes that were thrown at him. Trigger Happy was also fighting the bandits with his duel guns, shooting a crazy amount gold coins at the cyclops bandits.

This continued for about a minute until Gill Grunt began to be overwhelmed. As soon as a bandit was within striking distance, the Gillman used his Water Jetpack to fly over to Trigger Happy's position. Spyro saw this and joined him, too. The trio weren't surrounded, but there was still a large group of bandits standing in front of them, including Wilson.

The cyclopes gave a menacing snarl, awaiting their leader to give the signal to charge. Spyro and Gill Grunt prepared for anything the bandits were going to give them. However, Trigger Happy walked past the duo which made them watch with less tension, and a bit of confusion.

The Gremlin then slammed the top of his guns together, and they began to forge into a machine gun. Everyone gaped at the sight, shocked by how he was able to do this, before he started firing upon the cyclopes. This caused Trigger Happy to have his body comically flail in the air while firing. Meanwhile, the bandits were in disarray and were all trying to get back to their mounts before they were taken out.

Eventually, all the cyclopes were either defeated or gone, except for Wilson, who was cowering on the ground like a little girl. When he noticed that all his minions were gone, he jumped back up with chest puffed out.

"Well, you may have defeated my forces, but don't think this is the last time we'll meet, Trigger Happy and Co."

At that moment, a dragon came and scooped him up all the while laughing like an evil villan, "Until next time!"

Suddenly, the dragon accidentally let him go, and he fell down screaming and face planted into the ground below.

'Hmm, this looks familiar," Spyro thought with a small chuckle.

The dragon came back and picked him up again, but this time by his feet. Wilson was too dazed to yell a threat again, so the trio watched as the dragons flew away toward the setting sun in silence.

After they disappeared from view, Spyro walked up to Trigger Happy, "That was awesome!" the dragon exclaimed to him.

The Gremlin shrugged, "Hope so, other wise I would be out of a job."

"Which reminds me," Gill Grunt spoke up, also walking up to Trigger Happy. "How did you know that we were here?"

"I didn't," he said simply.

"What?!" the duo shouted, surprised.

Trigger Happy laughed, "Yeah, I just did that for fun, and there you two were. Even if you weren't their, I would have improvised, like I always do."

Spyro rubbed a claw to his chin, "Alright, next question, where did you come from?"

"Sorry," Trigger apologized, "trade secret."

"How come?"

"What did I just say?"

Gill Grunt chuckled; "I like him," he expressed with a grin.

Spyro rolled his eyes with a bit of amusement, and looked back at the Gremlin, "Last question, would you like to join the Skylanders?"

Trigger Happy held up his hand and closed his eyes, "before I answer that," he replied, "I want to ask _you_ some questions."

Spyro was taken back by this, but nodded anyway; He would do anything to get this Gremlin to become a Skylander.

"Okay, first," he began, "I like your gun." He pointed at Gill Grunt's Harpoon Gun.

Spyro raised an eyebrow, "Uh, that's not a question."

"It isn't? Huh, well anyway, will I work with Master Eon?"

Gill Grunt stepped in this time, "Of course! He is the Portal Master after all!"

"I see..." He looked to the sky, "...a cloud, but that's beside the point; I'll join!"

"Sweet," Spyro expressed with a smile.

"Under one condition," Trigger Happy announced, causing Spyro to retract his smile.

The Gremlin pointed at Gill Grunt's Harpoon Gun again, "I get that gun."

Gill Grunt narrowed his eyes, "Nope."

Trigger shrugged, "Worth a shot!"

The trio laughed and decided to eat at the local saloon. When they entered, they all walked up to the counter and placed their order for drinks: Spyro asked for a milkshake, Gill Grunt just wanted plain water, and Trigger Happy asked for juice, causing the group to stare at him with puzzlement.

"What? I like juice," was all he said. The bartender gave an irritated look, but gave the Gremlin what he asked for, as he did for the other two.

"So, it's the three of us so far, huh?" asked Trigger Happy.

"So far, Trigg," Spyro said as he drank his milkshake.

"I have a question, Spyro," Gill Grunt said gaining the attention of the dragon, "How will the missions work? I mean, will we always be together or something?"

Spyro looked down in thought before answering, "Master Eon told me that we can go together, but only in teams of three, and the leader has to choose who he takes with. So, yes, by default, we will go on the same missions together."

"I guess that makes sense," Gill Grunt spoke, still a bit confused.

"Like me!" Trigger chipped in.

The trio laughed, and Gill Grunt said, "Yeah, that's about right!"

They continued laughing and drinking for quite a while, until they decided they should head back to the Ruins. Trigger Happy, after all, still had to go through the ceremony, and he expressed, quite loudly, that he didn't want to be late for that.

* * *

**Whew, writing for Trigger Happy is harder than I thought. I'm trying to make him the random and funny character, but it takes a toll on me to think these up. Anyway, I have the rest of the captains planned out. So if you want your Skylander to come sooner, and he/she is a captain, I will type that Skylander. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4: Twists of Fury

**Before you read, I must thank my brother for proofreading these chapters. He knows a bit more about Skylanders, and this story would be a lot worse without him. Also, consider this a Christmas present since I won't be able to write and upload a chapter before then. Plus, this is longer than my previous chapters, so kudos for me!**

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 4: Twists of Fury**

The library books at Eon Tower only rival those at the Worth Library; there are multiple books depicting loads of genres and in turn hundreds of stories. This over whelmed Spyro at first, for he just wanted something fun to read. However, when he started sifting through them, he found a few books that piqued his interest.

He had found a book about the geography of Skylands, and he couldn't take his eyes off of it. The maps were accurately detailed, showing the different islands, some of which Spyro has already been to.

He had brought the book to the floor and laid down next to it to read it, and got comfortable.

While he was examining it, however, Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy came through the doors leading outside, causing Spyro to sigh in irritation. The dragon likes those two, but they can be a bit distracting when one is trying to concentrate.

"So I'm captain of Tech," Trigger Happy stated, "You're captain of Water," pointing a finger at Gill Grunt, "And Spyro's the captain of Magic. So, what's left?"

Gill Grunt stopped in his tracks to think, "Well," he finally answered, "I know that Fire and Earth are two."

Spyro mentally face palmed himself; He had told Gill Grunt a couple of times now what each element was. The dragon himself had memorized it to heart, but it seemed that Spyro did more work on being a Skylander then the Gillman.

"Oh! I remember Air being another!" Trigger Happy exclaimed, raising his hand in the air as if in school. The two began to literally walk in circles around the library in a bothersome manner.

Spyro covered his ears with his paws, but the words was still able to seep in.

"I think Snow is one," Gill added, "Wait, I'm thinking of Water again."

"Is Lighting an element?" The Gremlin asked aloud.

"Of course not! Why would it be an element?"

"Because it's cool!"

"Just because it's cool doesn't mean it's an element."

"If I was in charge it would be."

"But you're not."

"I said if I was!"

"And I said you're not."

"Well you're not-"

"Stop!" Spyro suddenly shouted, and stood up from his reading position. This caused the duo to freeze in their tracks as they stared at Spyro with surprised expressions.

The dragon gave them a stern look, and said with gritted teeth, "Magic, Water, Tech, Air, Life, Earth, Undead, and Fire. How hard is it to remember?!"

"Hey," Gill Grunt spoke, raising his hands, "I tried to memorize it once... and I gave up."

"Well, I'm not getting anything done today," grumbled Spyro as he placed the book back where he found it.

"Great!" Trigger Happy exclaimed, "You can join us for lunch!"

Spyro shook his head with a smile; You just couldn't stay made at these guys for very long. "Which reminds me," Spyro announced, "Why are you guys in the library?"

They both looked around with confused looks, before facing Spyro again, "We're in a library?" they both said with wonder. The dragon could only laugh, and soon they laughed as well.

"Young dragon!" Eon exclaimed in spirit form, once again scaring Spyro to fall to his back. He stood back up again, with the hiccups.

"Yes -hic- master Eon -hic-" he manged to say through his fits of hiccups.

"There's a Shade Alarm at Dragon's Peak, meet me at the Portal of Power," and with that said, Master Ion's head disappeared.

Once he did, Gill Grunt's and Trigger Happy's stifled laughs finally burst, causing them to fall to the floor in hysterical laughter. Spyro sighed, "We really -hic- need to find a -hic- an easier way for Master Eon to -hic- tell us about those -hic- Shade Alarms."

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After Gill's and Trigg's laughing fit, they all walked up the stairs to the balcony that held their mode of transportation. Eon was there, as usual, and told them about where they're headed.

"Unicorn Peak is quite unique," the Portal Master started.

"Heh, that rhymes," Trigger Happy giggled quietly.

"It is home to both dragons and unicorns and has a high turist rate," Eon continued, ignoring the Gremlin's input.

"So why is it called Unicorn Peak if there are dragons there too?" Spyro questioned.

Eon rubbed his chin, "It is quite a long story, but another time. You must go stop the evil that is present there."

The trio gave a nod and jumped on the Portal. Using his magic once again, Master Eon sent them to the location.

The leap was the same, but the sight they saw was anything but that. The city of Unicorn Peak was quite remarkable. Though the town was small it still had tall buildings that stood firm. Looking higher than that, one could see many clouds drifting lazily that held even more buildings. Spyro could only gaze in astonishment at this; How did they do that?

"I don't see anything," Trigger Happy said with a tinge of disappointment.

Tearing his eyes from the sights, Spyro finally looked around to see what the Gremlin meant. Nothing evil was occurring right away, and all the citizens of the town were all oblivious to the Skylanders sudden appearance. Then the dragon realized something.

"Trigg, why do you sound disappointed?" he asked with a raised brow.

"I was hoping to shoot something, but I guess I'll have to stretch my trigger finger instead," He answered depressingly.

Gill Grunt chuckled, and patted the Gremlin on the back, "I'm sure we'll fight somebody soon, buddy."

"Yeah..." he said with a sigh, pulling his index finger every which way. This made Spyro tilt his head in confusion; He's really going to stretch his finger?

"So now what, Spyro?" the Gillman asked.

Spyro shook his thoughts out for the time being and responded, "Well, I suppose we ask around and see if anybody has seen some suspicious activity."

"Sounds good to me," Gill Grunt agreed.

The dragon turned around and headed for the nearest person walking by; it was a dragon. "Excuse me, have you seen anything odd lately?"

The dragon stopped in his tracks and turned to face Spyro. "And may I ask," he inquired, "who's asking?"

Before Spyro could answer, Trigger Happy jumped on his head, and rubbed his finger nails on his own chest. "The one and only Skylanders, of course," he said nonchalantly.

The citizen's eyes widened, and the company could hear other people around murmuring amongst each other.

"_Your_ Skylanders?" the citizen asked, bewildered.

"Uh, yeah, we're Skylanders," Spyro said nervously, not sure how they would react.

Suddenly, the people around them surrounded them and bombarded them with questions and compliments. This startled Spyro immensely; He wasn't used to such praise, maybe a thank you ounce in a while, but this was a lot for him. The crowds words began to merge with each other, and the trio couldn't make out anything.

"Um, excuse me?" Spyro was able to pick up on somebody ask politely, but he couldn't see who it was in the crowd. It wasn't necessary to search, however, as everyone stopped their struggle, quieted down, and looked up with furious looks. The trio looked at each other with puzzled looks before gazing up themselves.

Hovering above them was a female dragon, but she had a horn on her head like a unicorn. She also, Spyro noticed, had feathers for wings and tail. Everybody in the crowd glared at her as if she did something terrible.

"What do _you_ want?" a unicorn asked harshly.

The mysterious dragon above flinched, and quietly answered, "I just heard that the Skylanders were here, and I wanted to meet them."

"Why would the Skylanders want to meet you," a dragon chimed in, "No one even likes you, especially because of your horn."

This caused the dragon to flinch again, and put a claw over her horn, hiding it from view, while she looked away bashfully.

"or your wings," a unicorn added with distaste.

Spyro could tell that she was beginning to tear up, and felt bad for how she was treated.

"I just thought-" she tried to say.

"Who cares what you think!?" another dragon angrily expressed, "no one likes you, and you know it!"

Now Spyro could tell that she was crying slightly, but was brushing it off hastily. Soon the whole crowd began making insults, and telling her to leave. The dragon above stayed where she was, facing toward each insult with a shocked expression. She finally met Spyro's eyes, and she finally cried full force, and flew away whimpering.

"Jeez," Gill Grunt whispered, "I heard of bullying, but that was downright cruel."

Spyro stared at her as she left for a while as the crowd began to chatter once again. Who was she? Why was she treated so badly?

"Who was she?" Spyro softly asked a nearby dragon.

"Just some dragon showing off her horn." he waved off.

"That was showing off?" Spyro scoffed slightly.

"What's showing off is those wings she uses all the time," a unicorn spoke up this time.

"And exactly what were you doing?" Spyro raised his voice, becoming annoyed by their behavior.

"We were just telling she isn't as important as she thinks she is," a different unicorn added.

"And what exactly did she do to deserve that?" Spyro questioned harshly.

The dragon that Spyro talked to first scoffed, "She merely exists, enough said."

Narrowing his eyes in frustration, Spyro slammed his foot on the ground creating a loud thud that shut up the whole crowd. "Do you have any idea what you're doing to her?!" He yelled deafeningly.

The crowd was eery quiet as everyone shared silent glances with each other. Knowing he wasn't going to get an answer from them, Spyro took flight and flew to the clouds where he last saw the dragon.

"Spyro, wait!" called Gill Grunt, but his shout was unheard as the purple dragon flew into the cloud cover above. Giving a heavy sigh, he turned to Trigger Happy.

"Now what do we do?" he asked almost desperately.

Trigger Happy stared at him, and then pulled out a Sherlock hat out of no where and put it on. He exclaimed loudly, "We find clues, my dear Gill Grunt. What else?"

He then magically brought out a magnifying glass and began staring through it at the ground as he paced around the area. This caused some dragons and unicorns to walk away slowly in with an awkward smile. Some even ran off when Trigg was right up in their face with the magnifying glass.

Gill Grunt sighed at the Gremlin's foolishness, and looked back up to where Spyro disappeared. 'Wonder how that talk is going?' he thought to himself.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Once Spyro breached the clouds, he was instantly met with sunlight. They area here was absolutely gorgeous, with buildings standing on different clouds. it was obvious that for anybody to get here was with wings, and the purple dragon concluded that this is where the dragons live.

Spyro shook his head frantically, 'Focus! You came here to talk to that dragon,' he thought to himself.

He spent the next minute searching around the clouds to find her, but had no luck. Eventually, he flew a little outside of the city to hear crying. Perking his head up, he looked around desperately for the origin of that sound. He finally found who he was looking for; she was laying on a nearby cloud, which was very dark, reflecting her mood perfectly.

Spyro landed behind her on the same cloud with a look of pity; How long has she been treated like this?

The purple dragon didn't want to startle her, so he spoke as softly and quietly as possible, "Hey..."

The dragon turned her head around to see Spyro standing there. She quickly turned her head back to the front to hide her tear-stricken face. "Are you here to make fun of me, too?" she asked, whimpering.

Spyro turned his gaze to the floor, feeling ashamed of himself even though he hasn't done anything wrong. After a few seconds, he answered her question with one of his own, "Why would I do that?"

The purple dragon could see her face downward as well, "Everyone else seems to do it."

Spyro slowly walked up beside her and laid down next to her. She turned her head the other way to continue hiding her face. "I have no reason to do anything bad to you," he uttered caringly. He continued gazing at her horn; This would be the first time Spyro ever saw a dragon like her.

He opened his mouth to ask about it, but felt that it would be rude to do so, especially the state she was in. He closed his mouth quickly, and thought about something else to say.

"I'm Spyro," He stated quietly, thinking this was the best way to start.

The dragon finally turned her head to face him to present two pretty cyan eyes. She found out she was looking into Spyro's kind, red eyes, and looked away hastely, blushing.

M-My name's... Whirlwind," she stuttered nervously.

Spyro, not noticing the way she acted, gave a compassionate smile. "Nice to meet you," he then shifted his face to one of determination, "You shouldn't have to be treated like that, you need to show them that you aren't showing off your wings or horn."

She sniffled, "I would, but when you've been bullied like that your whole life, it becomes harder."

The purple dragon looked at his paws, "I guess I wouldn't know, being teased I mean," he sighed before whispering, "or loved for that matter."

Whirlwind turned her head, shocked by what he said, and wondered what he meant. However, Spyro, again, didn't notice, and stood back up. "I guess I should check on my friends before they do something stupid. Anyway, I hope I see you again, Whirlwind."

She lightly blushed again, never hearing such kind words before. Spyro walked to the cloud edge and spread his wings for flight.

"Thanks, Spyro," Whirlwind muttered, but it was enough for the purple dragon to give a small smile before flying back down to the island city known as Unicorn Peak.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

It didn't take long for Spyro to find his two companions; finding an orange Gremlin and a Gillman in a town full of dragons and unicorns wasn't hard. He landed next to Gill Grunt, who turned his head to face him.

"How'd it go?" he asked concerningly.

Spyro gave a sigh, "I don't think I did so well, but I hope she feels better."

Gill Grunt gave a nod, and said with a bit more seriousness, "We found out that some trolls are hiding at another nearby island."

"_We_?" Trigger Happy emphasized suddenly, startling the duo from his sudden appearance.

"I mean, Trigg found out," the Gillman corrected with a bit of irritation.

Spyro shook his head, "Anyway, can you guys lead me to it?"

"Of course!" Trigger Happy beamed, hopping on the purple dragon since he couldn't fly, "Now mush!"

"What?" Spyro asked confusedly.

"Nevermind... just go in that direction," he said while pointing toward another island that was higher than the land they stood on.

The purple dragon gave a nod, and began flying toward where he indicated. Gill Grunt, using his Water Jetpack, followed behind.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

When they arrived, they landed behind a rock out cropping, and peered over it to see an area with tents and a large fire in the center, there were many trolls as well, either walking around or sitting by the fire.

'They must've been here for a while,' Spyro thought to himself.

The trio continued to look over the area until one particular troll caught Spyro's attention. He was standing near a tent that was bigger than the rest, talking to another troll. The more the purple dragon stared at him, the more Spyro gawked.

It was Kildan, leader of the Undertrolls.

"Everything is ready, sir," the other troll said to Kildan.

Kildan narrowed his eyes, "are you sure, Eric?"

The troll known as Eric nodded. "Good, good," commented Kildan. "Then send out the Catchers.

Eric nodded again, and gave a long and high whistle, and at that moment, a bunch of trolls with jet packs shot over the heros' heads. They had, in their hands, net launchers, probably to capture whatever they were hunting.

"Remember," Kildan reminded Eric, "We need unicorn tails and dragon scales."

"Of course, Kildan," he said before taking off himself to follow the troupe.

Spyro quickly grew concerned for the citizens of Unicorn Peak.

"Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy, take care of this camp," Spyro ordered, "I'm going to intercept those Catchers."

The Gillman gave a thumbs up, "No problem, Spyro!"

"Yeah!" Trigger Happy added happily, glad to shoot at something once again.

Spyro didn't spare them a second glance as he took to the skies to fly to the city before it was too late.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

When the purple dragon arrived, he saw chaos as the Catchers were trying to catch dragons and unicorns. The citizens, strangely, were not trying to defend themselves. Either they couldn't or they were too afraid to do anything.

Spyro also saw some trolls on the ground; They were carrying the captured dragons and unicorns to a grouped location to be taken somewhere else.

The purple dragon took action. He followed a group of Catchers and began firing fire balls at them, some of them crashing on the ground below from the result.

Other trolls took note of this and started to tail Spyro equipping their guns and firing upon him. The Skylander did rolls and somersaults in mid-air, dodging them all gracefully. Eventually, he did a loop in the air that let him come behind the Catchers, surprising them. The purple dragon smirked and defeated them easily.

Suddenly, a bullet nearly hit him, and Spyro looked up to see Eric with a jet pack come down on him. The purple dragon faced back forward and picked up speed, hoping to outrun him. He twisted and weaved around the buildings, but the troll stuck on him like glue.

Eric fired again, and sadly his shot hit its mark on Spyro's wing. Cringing from the shot, Spyro made for a crash landing as he flew closer to the ground. When he was low enough, he stopped flying altogether and skidded across the floor, and coming to a halt with skid marks all over his body.

Hissing from the pain, the purple dragon slowly stood back up, looking himself over, and diagnosed himself.

"A puncture wound, and a few skid marks, I've gotten worse," he commented.

Before he could do anything else, Eric suddenly landed very hard on Spyro's back, forcing the belly to slam into the ground and crack a few ribs.

'Okay,' Spyro thought to himself, as he kept from crying out from the pain, 'that's new.'

The troll jumped off, and laughed heavily at Spyro's condition as the said dragon tried to breathe, for the wind was knocked out of him as well.

"Nice try, Spyro," He said with a sneer, "but it looks like the Undertrolls win aga-"

Before he could finish, a rainbow hit him square in the chest and sent him flying until he smashed into a nearby building, leaving an imprint of his body on it.

Spyro turned his head with a tinge of pain, and saw, to his amazement, Whirlwind. She had a face of concentration and a bit of anger from the trolls attacking her home. The purple dragon could also see her breathing heavily with a few injuries, probably from other scuffles. Spyro would've said his thanks, if a wave of pain hadn't hit him, and forced him to cringe from it yet again.

From doing this, Whirlwind turned her head to him with softened eyes, and quickly ran to him.

"Are you alright, Spyro?" she asked worriedly.

"Not exactly," The purple dragon managed to speak.

She looked him over hastily, looking frightened from his wounds. She backed a few steps away from the purple dragon, and said in a fearful manner, "Just hold still, Spyro, this'll take a second."

Spyro didn't know what she was talking about, but obeyed her orders and didn't move. Whirlwind closed her eyes, as her horn began to glow white, and a rainbow came out of it and landed on Spyro.

The purple dragon was shocked by this at first, but when he felt his injuries heal back up, he dropped that with a look of awe. When Whirlwind finished, she blushed in embarrassment when she saw Spyro's face, and muttered, "Do you feel better now?"

Spyro raised himself up, and hugged her for her kindness, smiling brightly. Whirlwind was stunned by this, and blushed even harder; No one has ever hugged her before. When Spyro pulled away, he gave a confident grin.

"Would you assist me in taking these trolls out?" the purple dragon asked politely.

Whirlwind also gave a smile, albeit small, but boldly stated, "Yes, of course I will!"

Spyro nodded, and took flight once again, with Whirlwind doing the same. Together, using fire and rainbows, they took out the many Catchers, while the rest fled in fear.

After the battle, the dragon duo landed next to the captured dragons and unicorns and set them free. Every single one was dazed by Whirlwinds actions; They never expected her to save them because of the way they treated her.

Once they were all released, Whirlwind took a saddened looked, causing Spyro frown as well. She began walking away, expecting the citizens to tease her.

"Thank... you..." a dragon said awkwardly behind her. She turned her head around with a surprised expression. Soon, they all started thanking her, and she was even more startled. Spyro could only chuckle; He was glad that she was treated fairly now.

While Whirlwind was being thanked, the purple dragon could see Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy walk over. They were covered in dirt for some reason, and the Gillman had a highly irritated look.

"Uh, dare I ask what happened?" joked Spyro.

"Trust me," said Gill Grunt, "It's best you don't know."

Trigger Happy could only stifle a giggle, while Spyro chuckled lightly.

Whirlwind walked up to them, rather nervously, hiding behind Spyro slightly.

"Oh, guys, this is Whirlwind," the purple dragon introduced.

"Hello," the Gillman said simply and waved

" 'Sup" Trigger Happy said cooly, crossing his arms and wearing dark sunglasses that came from no where.

Whirlwind waved back, and Spyro said, "This is Gill Grunt," gesturing to the Gillman, "and Trigger Happy" gesturing to the Gremlin.

"Nice to meet you," she whispered, still a bit frightened by their appearances.

"You should have seen her," Spyro praised, "She not only healed me, but also helped me take care of the Catchers, and freed the people here."

"Sweet!" Gill Grunt expressed with a smile.

"That's cool," Trigg said with a bored expression, still where the shades. This caused the Gillman to slap the back of his head, knocking the glasses off and gaining a nervous grin from the Gremlin.

Whirlwind giggled at their shenanigans, and Spyro turned to face her. "Would you like to be a Skylander?" he asked hopefully.

She was taken back from this; Just an hour ago, she thought nobody loved her, and now she was being asked to be a Skylander. She gave a wide grin, and said, "I'd love to join you, Spyro! I mean, join the Skylanders, against evil and stuff."

Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy giggled lightly, causing her to blush slightly. Spyro only smiled. "Take us home, Master Ion" he exclaimed, still staring at Whirlwind. And all four of them were taken away from Unicorn Peak to the Ruins.

* * *

**So my brother thinks that I need to change up the characters who go on the missions, I think it should remain Spyro, Gill Grunt, and Trigger Happy for the story. What do you think?**


	5. Chapter 5: Rock and Roll

**First off, Happy Holidays! I hope you all had a jolly time, I sure did. I hope I can update as often as I do now with all the stuff I got. Don't worry, I can't abandon this! Also, I also changed this the rating to 'T' for a reason you'll see in this chapter; sorry if this makes anyone mad.**

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 5: Rock and Roll**

The Hostpital Wing was another feature in Eon Tower. Being a level just above the library, it carried 4 different rooms total, along with an Emergency Room as well. Though there was no definite doctor or nurse, Hugo would fill that role if the time came. Gill Grunt, unfortunately, was the first patient.

He was currently laying in bed with a slightly red nose, sniffling occasionally. His other friends, including the newly appointed Captain of Air, Whirlwind, were standing around him.

"How the heck did you even catch a cold?" Spyro asked with disbelief evident, "Can Gillmen even catch colds?"

"Of course we can!" Gill Grunt snapped, then sneezed into a handkerchief loudly.

Hugo, studying a clipboard, spoke up, "He will be here for at least a few days before he's ready for any type of quest."

This resulted in a groan from the Gillman. He then turned his head to face Whirlwind, "Why can't you just heal me like with Spyro?"

"Well," she began, searching for the right words to put it, "My ability can heal injuries, not illness. I can't really explain it."

Gill Grunt groaned again, and Hugo gave a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll make a speedy recovery."

"Hey, Trigger Happy," Spyro faced his Gremlin friend, "Do you know how Gill Grunt got sick?"

Trigger Happy stared forward with a hand on his chin in deep thought. "I don't remember," he commented quietly. Spyro gave a sigh of slight annoyance of how the Gillman caught a cold even though he was used to frigid water.

"Wait!" Trigg suddenly shouted, startling Whirlwind, and caused Spyro to give a wide grin.

"Yes! Do you remember?" He asked excitedly.

"Well, I do remember a small kid sneeze in Gill Grunt's face back in Unicorn Peak. But that's irrelevant."

Spyro narrowed his eyes, "How is somebody sneezing on Gill Grunt irrelevant?"

Trigger Happy shrugged, "Please tell me how it _is_ relevant?"

"Well- you- I- He-" Spyro stuttered, unable to think of a good response to Trigg's question. In the end, he could only release an exasperating sigh, causing Whirlwind and Gill Grunt to giggle silently.

"Maybe we should take a vacation," Whirlwind suggested, "After all, Gill Grunt will be out of action for a while."

"Oh, I like that idea, let's do that idea," Trigger Happy added jumping up and down in joy.

"Trigg," Spyro said with a tinge of boredom, "You always want to have a vacation."

"And now it came true. It's a miracle," the Gremlin stated in a wonderous tone.

Spyro could only facepalm, while everyone else laughed.

"Anyway," Spyro spoke up, gaining the attention of everyone, "We really should take a vacation," he then rubbed his chin in thought, "but where do we go?"

"I have an idea," Hugo announced. He brought out a poster from his backpack and showed it to everyone in the room. On the paper, it can be clearly seen that it was showing three dragons flying together in one direction with streaks flowing behind them.

"The Quickwings," Trigg read aloud, "the fastest and best flyers in Skylands."

He then, suddenly, grabbed the poster from Hugo's hands and read the fine print very fast, "Show is at Boulder Fields, tickets required for entry, said tickets can be bought at Boulder Fields, no tickets no entry no exceptions. Except for Master Eon or Skylanders, but that's the only exception, at least I think it is. Why is this on the poster, I should probably take this out."

Spyro raised a brow, and peeked over Trigg's shoulder to see if it really said it, and it did. Shaking his head in doubt, he faced Whirlwind with a smile, "So do you want to go?"

She gave a nod, "Yeah, I'll go where every you go, Spyro." She realized how she phrased that answer and hastily said, "I mean, with you and Trigg, where ever you guys want to go."

She gave a nervous smile, with her face slightly blushing.

Spyro nodded, "Alright, it's settled then; We're going to Boulder Fields."

Everyone cheered except for Gill Grunt, who only sneeze in response. "Hope you have fun," he mumbled in a depressed tone.

Trigger Happy suddenly got an idea and raced out of the room. When he returned as quickly as he left, he brought a camera, and waved it in front of the Gillman.

"Don't worry, Gill," He reassured, "I'll document everything."

The Gremlin then proceeded to take continuous pictures, blinding and dazing everyone from the flashes. It wasn't until Gill Grunt grabbed the camera from Trigg when he was nearby.

"You don't have to do that," he spoke flatly, sniffling.

Trigger Happy gasped, "You're right, I need to write about it instead!"

Before he could take off again, Spyro grabbed him by the ear, and said, "I think we should go now."

With that said, Spyro, Trigger Happy, and Whirlwind left the room with Gill Grunt grumbling about Trigg's wierd behaviour.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The trio decide to fly there for two reasons: It wasn't that far off, and Master Eon was meditating, according to Hugo. For Spyro, he hasn't flown to any place since he became a Skylander. It was liberating, to say the least, to physically fly somewhere. Trigger Happy had chosen to lay on Spyro's back for the trip, since he still couldn't fly. The trip was uneventful, yet it left time for Spyro to catch up to the recent events.

He has gotten captains for Water, Tech, and Air. All that's left is Fire, Earth, Life, and Undead. Who could they be? What challenges will they meet to obtain them? All he knew was that his team was growing at a uncontrollable pace, not that he wanted to control it.

They finally arrived at Boulder Fields to be met with a wide island with large rocks jutting from the land. A little away, there was a stadium, with seats and a podium made up of stone.

The area was devoid of dragons, but they did see a group of dragons with blue scales and yellow horns. They were also wearing goggles and golden scarves.

"They must be the Quickwings," inquired Whirlwind.

"Yeah," agreed Spyro, "Let's say 'hi' before they have to perform."

Whirlwind gave a quick nod, and they descended to the dragons below.

At that moment, Spyro could hear Trigger Happy mumble something. Turning his head, the purple dragon was surprised to see the Gremlin also wearing goggles and a scarf, which was flapping in the wind. Trigg also seemed to be holding an imaginary wheel in front of him.

"Control tower, this is Liner Dragon," he said to no one, "Requesting clearance for landing, over."

Then, in a different voice, Trigger Happy said, "Roger that, Liner Dragon, you are clear to land, over."

When Spyro did land, the Gremlin hopped off, took off the scarf and goggles, and exclaimed, "Land successful."

Spyro gave a quiet chuckle as Whirlwind joined them. The trio then walked over to the Quickwings, who were huddled in a group, discussing tactics and flight maneuvers When the Skylanders approached, the dragons broke off from their conversations and looked to them.

"Who do we have here?" said one dragon with a snide voice. "Some more fanboys come to get our autographs?"

"Opex, calm down," said another dragon sternly in a posh voice. "I say, I must apologize for my friend's behavior."

"Oh, it's no big deal, I've dealt with worse," Spyro said without any hint of anger.

"I think we all have, buddy," remarked Trigger Happy.

This raised a brow from the dragon. "What line of work are you in, anyhow?" he asked quizzically.

"We're Skylanders," Whirlwind stated, quietly.

This caused all the other dragons to murmur among each other, "Skylanders? That is quite brilliant in any line of work. Were you hoping to catch our next performance?"

Spyro gave a nod, and the posh dragon went to a nearby bag and pulled out three tickets, giving each one to each Skylander. "That should do it."

"Thank you very much," Spyro replied, "by the way, what's your name?"

"Oh my, I haven't truly introduced myself, have I? I am Losin, Captain of the Quickwings," the dragon informed. "This," gesturing to the dragon from before, "is my Lieutenant, Opex."

The introduced dragon, Opex, walked toward Whirlwind seductively. "Hey, little Missy," he said flirtingly causing Whirlwind to give a nervous expression, "After the show, why don't I show _you _a good time."

Whirlwind was slightly afraid by what he meant by that, backing away a few steps. Spyro, on the other hand, was becoming angry at Opex, furrowing his brow and baring his teeth. He hastily walked over, and placed himself between the two, giving Opex a scowl.

"I don't think she would want that," he growled.

The other dragon scoffed, "And what are you? Her boyfriend?"

This caused a blush not only from Spyro, but from Whirlwind as well.

"N- No, I just know that she should be treated with respect!" Spyro exclaimed, nearly shouting.

"Opex!" Losin scolded, "Restrain yourself!"

Opex humphed annoyingly, and strode back to the Quickwings, with nose high in the air. Losin then turned his head to the Spyro and Whirlwind with a apologetic face. "There are not enough words to apologize about Opex's rude behavior."

Spyro began to calm down, but was still ticked off at Opex. "It's... it's alright," he stammered. "It wasn't your fault, let's just change the subject."

"Yes, that is probably the best course of action, isn't it?" Losin agreed.

While Spyro talked with the Quickwings, and Trigger Happy was snoozing on a nearby rock, Whirlwind noticed another dragon not to far away, hiding behind a boulder while watching the scene. He was large, but not from fat, with brown scales, a clubbed tail, and a tyrannosaurs head. However, what really caught her attention was that he had no wings!

She looked at everyone else, to see if they had noticed this as well. They appeared to have not, and if they did, they ignored him completely. She decided to pay him a visit. Breaking away from the group, she trotted over to the dragon, who seemed to neglect her approach.

When she stood right beside him, still not noticing her, she gave a cheerful hello. The dragon was startled by her 'sudden' appearance. But quickly regained his composure, and asked, "Uh... Who are you?"

"I'm Whirlwind," she told him, then taking a slightly worried expression, she asked, "What are you doing over here?"

He gave a bored expression, and replied, "I don't believe it's any of your business, miss."

"Well, I was just curious," she explained, slightly frightened by his response.

"Right," he said flatly, facing back to Spyro, Trigg, and the Quickwings.

Whirlwind noticed this, and questioned, "Why are you watching them?"

He turned his head back to her, a bit annoyed, then faced the scene again. "You ask a lot of questions, don't you?" Whirlwind fumbled with her paws embarrassingly. The brown dragon, however, sighed and answered, "I'm just watching my heroes."

Whirlwind waited patiently, seeing if he would continue.

The brown dragon gave another heavy sigh. "I always wanted to fly," he stated, with a dark tone, "ever since I was a baby. Everyone else had wings, but I had none at all. This need slowly grew to me admiring the Quickwings, because they were so elegant with their wings."

"I see..." Whirlwind whispered, feeling a bit sorry for the dragon.

"Well, now you know," he grumbled.

The brown dragon then looked around with a raised brow, and started to walk off.

"Hey, where are you going?" Whirlwind asked.

"The show's about to start," he explained simply without stopping or looking at her.

Whirlwind looked around herself, and was mildly bewildered by the amount of dragons that had arrived; How much time has passed?

Realizing what she meant to ask, Whirlwind shouted to the dragon, "What's your name?"

The brown dragon halted in his tracks, and turned his head to face her with a smile, "Bash."

Whirlwind gave a smile herself, before launching herself into the air to find Spyro and Trigger Happy.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

It only took a few seconds to find Spyro and Trigger Happy in the stadium; They were on the third row of seats. Trigg was holding a giant '#1' Foam Finger in one hand and a small triangular flag that said 'Quickwings' in the other. Spyro, as usual by now, was rolling his eyes with a grin at his silliness.

She landed to Spyro's right, the purple dragon unfazed by her entrance and merely saying, "Hey, Whirlwind."

At first, Whirlwind didn't want to respond; She was still a bit depressed about Bash's situation.

She gave a sigh, "Hi..." she mumbled rather sadly, staring off into space.

Spyro turned his head to her, and grew concerned about the way she was acting. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

She shook her head and gave a reassuring smile, "Nothing... just... thinking."

Spyro wasn't convinced, but he didnt' want to push for her to talk. So he only nodded and looked over to the Quickwings, who had finally entered the stadium. When they did, the crowd cheered, throwing their front arms in the air with yells of enthusiasm.

Then, the performers took flight, and began their routine. The crowd oh'ed and ah'ed at the spectacle. Spyro wasn't too impressed with them; Sure, they can do a couple of fancy tricks, but he felt as if they were showing off.

A glint in the sky suddenly shined on Spyro's eye, forcing him to rub it. After which, he looked up at it. It was only a small black speck compared to the beautiful blue sky, but the more he looked at the more details emerged.

It appeared to be getting closer and closer, forcing Spyro to squint at it to get more information. It was a robotic torso, with a hovering mechanism instead of legs. It had two arms, the right holding a net, and the other having a barrel of a gun.

He let his mouth fall open in realization; It was headed straight for the stadium. He then closed his mouth and an expression of determination replaced his previous look of shock.

He spread his wings, making Trigger Happy and Whirlwind look at him in confusion, and he began to hover above his seat. Soon, everyone else saw him hovering, and talked amongst each other in bewilderment, annoyance, and anger.

Spyro didn't care, only concentrating on the approaching robot. Without a second of hesitation, he gained momentum in his wings and shot off incredibly fast.

Everyone was stunned by his sudden speed, even the Quickwings who were frozen in the air to watch the purple dragon in flight. As their admiration for Spyro grew, a few other spectators began to see the robot as well. It wasn't until Trigger Happy jumped on his seat, pointed at it with his foam finger, and shouted, "Evil robot!" did the panic start.

Almost everyone started screaming, flying or running in every which way, with only Whirlwind, Trigger Happy, and the Quickwings watching the oncoming machine.

Spyro was still in route to intercept it, however, the robot appeared to have noticed him because it pointed its gun barrel at him and fired strange enchanted gears at him. Seeing this coming, the purple dragon began doing barrel rolls to avoid them. Despite his amazing maneuvers he failed to remember that their were still dragons at the stadium, which is where the missed gears were heading to.

"Good gravy!" announced Losin, "Those gears are heading precariously toward the unsuspecting dragons!"

When whirlwind looked toward what he was saying, she saw the panicking dragons not notice the gears as well. At that moment, Bash seemed to leap through the air, and using his tail, whacked the gears to the side harmlessly. Astonishing the Quickwings and present Skylanders.

Meanwhile, Spyro was still heading to the threatening robot, pumping his wings hard. When he was within range, he released a large fire ball that engulfed the machine completely. Breathing hard from the exertion, he stopped to hover and to see if it had any affect.

When the fire died down, he was shocked to see that it didn't do anything to it, not even leaving a coat of soot!

He was so startled, that he hesitated for a second, which was all the machine needed to swing his arm and hit Spyro dead on. The purple dragon was dazed by the smack that he couldn't recover, and so fell and fell until he hit the ground hard, leaving a small crater in his wake.

Whirlwind rushed over to him, with Trigger Happy at her heels. They climbed over the lip of the crater to find the purple dragon laying on his back, breathing hard with eyes shut tightly closed.

"Spyro!" the duo yelled out as they descended to him. The said dragon turned his head slowly, and opened his eyes at the same speed. "I'm alright," he insisted, his body showing the contrary.

Whirlwind and Trigg stood over his body in worry, and heard a robotic voice from above shout, "Must not fail Master."

The two looked up just in time to see the machine use its net to scoop up the Quickwings like fish in a water tank. The robot then bent its head back to reveal a hole, and dumped its captured dragons into it. After which, he snapped his head back into place prepared to take off.

"I don't think so!" the Gremlin exclaimed. He aimed his twin golden guns at it and opened fire. Unfortunately, the coins only bounced off, surprising Trigger Happy. "Now that's just not fair!"

"Its exterior must be impenetrable!" Whirlwind told the Skylanders around her.

"Let's see it stop this then!" shouted a different voice. Whirlwind looked around frantically, searching for the dragon who said that. Then her sight landed on Bash, who was running along a nearby platform, which was coincidentally level to the robot. At the edge, he stopped and began spinning in place like a pinwheel, slowly building up charge.

Soon, he released it and flew through the air, crashing through the machine in slow motion with no resistance. He then crashed through the other side, making a large and noticeable hole. The Quickwings took this as their opportunity of escape and did so by flying out of the recently made exits.

Spyro had an idea all of a sudden; He stood up from his position, limped over to Trigger Happy, and whispered his plan to him in his ear. When he was finished, the Gremlin was laughing like a maniac.

Trigg hopped onto Spyro's back, and the purple dragon took flight, heading straight for the robot's holes. When he flew through, Trigger Happy jumped off inside, and Spyro exited through the opposite hole. The Gremlin then began to shooting everywhere.

To his pleasure, Spyro's theory was correct; The interior didn't have the same strength as the outside shell, and his golden coins were destroying vital equipment. Trigg even let loose a couple of safes at larger material.

Soon the robot as a whole began to sway in the air and smoke emerged. Seeing the signal to leave, Trigger Happy did so hastily. Right when he did, the robot blew up, sending pieces of metals in the air.

"Ha, ha!" cheered the Gremlin happily, "Teamwork!"

He then rushed over to Spyro, who had a wide grin, and high fived him. When he did, Spyro flinched in pain, and rubbed his paw; It was still injured from his crash.

Whirlwind giggled, and healed him with her Rainbow of Healing. After thanking her, Spyro walked up to Bash, who appeared to slightly tired from the charge.

"Thanks for busting into that robot. If you didn't, I don't think we could ever take it down."

Bash only gave a curt nod, and began walking away. Spyro blinked in surprise by his brief welcome, and trotted up to him.

"Wait, what's your name?" he asked hurriedly.

"Bash," he replied simply without stopping.

"...and do you want to be a Skylander?" Spyro asked with an amused tone. Asking this question over and over, felt awkward for him for some reason, as if he was afraid he would be turned down.

"No thanks," answered Bash.

Now the purple dragon was really surprised; everyone he met, which wasn't much, had accepted his invitation. He knew he would meet someone who would reject it, but it still hurt his feelings slightly, like he hated him or something.

"Are you sure?" he asked desperately.

"Yep," Bash responded, almost to the edge of the island.

Spyro was crestfallen, he lowered his head in disappointment and turned to his friends to prepare to head home.

"I say, that was smashing" Losin praised, landing down in the area and gaining the attention of everyone.

The Skylanders only gave a embarrassed smile while shifting their weight between their feet. Bash seemed unaffected, but internally, he was shrieking with delight.

"Bash, that was amazing," Losin commented, "the way you blasted those holes into that monstrosity; Marvelous!"

The brown dragon was now visibly shaking, but not from freight, but rather from sheer joy.

"I totally recommend you join the Skylanders," he insisted, "You could definitely help many other dragons, such as our selves."

Without hesitation, Bash said, "Okay, I'll do it!"

"What!?" shouted Spyro suddenly, "It only took a famous dragon to convince him to join!?"

"It sure seems like it," snickered Trigger Happy.

"They're his role models. Of course he's going to listen to them," informed Whirlwind.

"Huh?" Spyro questioned confusedly, turned his head to her. "How do you know that?"

Whirlwind rolled her eyes, "Let's just say I didn't only talk to you guys today."

Spyro faced Trigg, still confused. Trigg only shrugged, just as lost.

"Are we going or what?" Bash spoke, startling the group. They noticed that the Quickwings were gone, and Bash was ready to leave.

"Yeah, sure," Spyro agreed, nodding his head for emphasize.

The purple dragon spread his wings wide, same with Whirlwind.

"Uh, guys," Trigger Happy spoke up, "How is Bash going to get home?"

The three could only stare at Bash, as if just realizing he doesn't have wings. The said dragon was giving an angry glare, forcing everyone to avert their eyes.

"Well, we can see if Master Eon is done meditating," suggested Spyro.

Then speaking to the sky itself, he said, "Ion, can you take us home?"

Without a seconds notice, they were all teleported, leaving nothing behind.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

In a far away area of Boulder Fields, Opex was pacing in anger; Muttering over how Spyro stood up for that female. If he wasn't her boyfriend, then why did he stand up for her?

If he could, the blue Quickwing would do a lot of bad things to Spyro. Smiling evilly at the thought, he walked over to the tent of the Quickwings to prepare to leave. However, a certain voice appeared in his head.

"Ha, Ha!" the voice shouted loudly, and in a rather high voice. "You want to bring the Skylanders down as well!"

Opex rolled his eyes, 'No, just Spyro, not the others,' he thought, and chuckled lightly, 'especially not that gal.'

"Yes, I see, I see," the voice said, as if in a study session, "And tell me, what will the others think if you just suddenly attack Spyro?"

'Why do you care?' Opex thought, suddenly wondering why the voice was here in the first place.

"Oh, no reason, just, you know, wondering if you want to help me take over all of Skylands!" the voice said dramatically.

'Uh, why? I have no reason to do that.'

"I'll let you take care of Spyro..."

'Alright, deal,' Opex thought quickly.

"Excellent!" the voice sneered, and then gave an evil laugh, that Opex began as well, but when he did, the voice stopped, and said, "Only I can do the evil laugh."

Opex looked down in defeat, as the voice continued the evil laugh. Then, Opex disappeared in a dark wisp of darkness.

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**There you have it. Please continue writing more reviews; they're awesome and inspire me to keep writing. Also, keep making suggestions for the story, some of them are pretty good, but not yours. Well, maybe yours but not his, or him for that matter. Ah, whatever.**


	6. Chapter 6: Silent but Deadly

**Here you are, another chapter for your enjoyment! Hope you weren't _too _fond of 2012, because 2013 is here! And another thing, thank you everyone for your support. It makes my day, everyday.**

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 6: Silent but Deadly**

Spyro could only smile as he flew above the Ruins. He was patrolling like he used to do before joining the Skylanders. It wasn't necessary, as Master Eon would inform him if any evil sprang up. However, he does it out of habit more than anything.

He forgot what it was like to just fly by himself. No missions to worry about, no friends to watch out for; Just the sky and his wings. He wished he could do this more often.

A grunt from below knocks him from his enjoyment, and he looks down in curiosity. Below, Spyro could see Bash, fighting dummies at the Training Hall. Spyro could only let a sigh out; He's been training ever since he became Captain of Earth and only stops to eat and sleep.

Spyro was even more confused as to why he would do it in the first place: to prepare, to relief tension or anger, to fight his boredom? The purple dragon could only shake his head in thought.

Spyro was so focused on Bash that he wasn't watching where he was going. Because of this, he smashed right into Eon Tower. The smack could be only be heard so far, but it was enough for Bash to stop his training and look around in bewilderment.

He finally laid eyes on Spyro, who was as flat as a pancake on the building. Slowly, Spyro peeled off, and fell to the ground comically, leaving a puff of dirt to indicate where he landed.

Bash shook his head in disbelief, before continuing his training. To him, he was only doing this so to concentrate on why he was here: to fight evil. He needed to be ready for anything, and knew that the only way to accomplish that was through training.

A minute later, he could hear someone stumbling their way across the bridge to the Training Hall. Looking over, Bash could see it was Spyro, still dazed by the impact.

"Hey... Bash..." he said slowly and carefully, so as not to be sick.

"Hey," the brown dragon replied simply.

Spyro stood there, waiting to see if Bash would say more. When he didn't, the purple dragon gave an awkward smile, and talked instead.

"So..." he began, trying to break the silence, "What are you training for?"

"No reason," he answered.

Spyro gave a quiet groan, 'Not very talkative, is he?' he thought to himself.

The purple dragon shook his thoughts out, and tried to get him to talk. "Aw, come on, Bash," he said encouragingly, "You must have a reason for training. Non-stop. Ever since you got here."

Bash stopped training, and gave Spyro a stern expression with narrowed eyes. The purple dragon only gave a shrug and a nervous smile. Finally, Bash broke eye contact, and faced the floor in thought.

"Well," he started slowly, "to tell you the truth-"

"Spyro! Glad I found you," said a voice on the bridge. The duo looked over and saw Master Eon walk toward them. He held his staff in his right hand, as always, but also held a letter in the other.

"What do you need, Master Eon?" Spyro asked politely, considering he interrupted Bash's sentence.

"I have received an invitation from my good friend, Silva," Eon explained, "He has written that he has a potential Skylander."

Spyro brightened, "A Skylander? Where can I meet him?"

Eon spoke with amusement, "You can find them in Flower Forest."

"Flower Forest?" Bash finally spoke.

"Yes, it is famous for its flowers, even though it's in a large forest." Eon told.

Spyro was enthusiastic; He enjoyed finding new Skylanders to join. It felt like they were building a great army to fight evil. It was great.

"Alright, let's go!" Spyro exclaimed excitedly, using his wings to quickly fly to Eon Tower.

"Oh, and make sure to not to crash again, young dragon." shouted Eon to Spyro.

At those words, Spyro lost his grip with the wind, and tumbled into a bush. Poking his head out, he gave an embarrassing smile.

'How the heck did he know about that?' thought Spyro, as he left the bush and walked to the tower.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

As Spyro walked up the stairs to get to the Portal of Power, he ran into Gill Grunt going the opposite direction.

"Gill! You're out of the hospital?" Spyro asked with a smile, glad to see his friend back on his feet.

The Gillman flexed his arms, and boldly said, "Of course, Spyro! Nobody can keep this Skylander down!"

With that said, Gill Grunt took one step, slipped, and fell down the rest of the stairs, with Spyro wincing when he landed on the last step; That's got to hurt.

"Uh, you alright, Gill?" questioned Spyro, concerned.

Gill Grunt gave a thumbs up, and wheezed, "Never better."

"I hope not," Spyro chuckled, "because I'm going on another mission."

At that, the Gillman jumped up, and ran up to where Spyro is. "What are we waiting for then?" he said, swaying from the previous fall.

Spyro laughed, and the duo walked up the remaining flight of stairs, and arrived on the balcony that held the Portal of Power.

Surprisingly, Bash and Eon were already there, waiting patiently for his arrival.

"How did you get here before me?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Eon chuckled, and explained, "If you had waited, I would have just teleported you to it."

"You can teleport without the Portal?" Gill Grunt asked, confused.

"Only in short distances, mind you," he revealed. Everyone nodded and hopped on the Portal.

"Make sure to say my hello to Silva," he said to the group, and without waiting for an answer, he sent them off in a wisp of white smoke yet again.

When they could see again, the trio was in a large, thick forest. What made it stand out from a typical forest, was that the ground was littered with flowers. All of them a different color and type.

Spyro and Gill Grunt looked around frantically, awe etched on their faces. Bash, on the other hand, was unimpressed; You can't be distracted to fight evil.

"I see Master Eon has sent his Skylanders," said an old, but wise voice out of nowhere.

The team searched for the source of it, but could not find it at all.

"You have us at a disadvantage here," Spyro announced.

"Aw, my mistake, I'm so used to sneaking around, I forgot that you wouldn't be able to find me."

At that moment, a tree seemed to have taken a step forward, revealing himself to the trio. They stood shocked that the tree was just standing there the whole time. He was as large as any tree, but his branches came out like arms from his sides. His head had many branches on top followed by leaves of brilliant green.

"It's not polite to stare, you know?" the tree chuckled.

Realizing their mistake, the Skylanders hastily looked away. After a few seconds, Spyro risked another glance and asked, "Are you Silva?"

"Very observant, yes." he answered.

"So, you have someone who could be a Skylander?" he continued, excitement growing.

"Yes," he replied, "she's right behind you actually."

All three Skylanders gave perplexed expressions, and turned around. A female Elf was standing their, with arms crossed, she also had a mask, hiding everything below her nose. Spyro and Gill Grunt were startled by her appearance, taking a few steps back. Bash just stood their examining her, looking for strengths and weaknesses.

"Meet my apprentice, Stealth Elf." Silva introduced.

Shaking off his initial shock, Spyro walked up to her, and extended a paw out.

"Nice to meet you," he said, trying to be friendly.

Stealth Elf only narrowed her eyes, not moving to shake his paw. "You really shouldn't be nice to someone you just met," she advised.

Spyro placed his paw down, and have a look of irritation "How can I make friends with behavior like that," the purple dragon responded. "Besides, I already know that you aren't an enemy, and I know that Silva already told you about us."

Stealth Elf didn't change her composure, only narrowing her eyes further, and saying, "Excellent conclusion, Skylander."

Gill Grunt scratched the back of his head nervously, "Maybe we should start the test or quiz or whatever, before somebody does something they'll regret."

Spyro nodded, not taking his eyes off of Stealth Elf, "Alright, the best test is in combat." Spyro furrowed his brow, "Who do you want to fight?"

'Wow,' thought Gill Grunt, 'you can almost see the sparks fly.'

Finally, Bash spoke up, "I'll fight her."

This surprised everyone except Silva, who only silently chuckled by their shocked faces.

"Very well," Silva approved, "The rules for this battle are simple: the first person to fall or call defeat loses, and the other stands victor."

Bash and Stealth Elf nodded in understanding, and took their positions in the circle-like opening in the forest. This is where they had arrived in, and now it would be the battleground between the brown dragon and the Elf.

At first, they only stared at each other with determination, waiting for the signal to start. Spyro flew to a branch, and laid there, observing from above. Gill Grunt went to the same tree and sat against it.

After a few tense seconds, Silva finally shouted, "Begin!"

As soon as he said this, Bash brought up a chunk of Earth, and whacked it with his tail, sending it straight to Stealth Elf. She dodged rolled out of the way, and disappeared. Bash looked around frantically, attempting to find her before being attacked.

However, it seemed fated to happen, as Stealth Elf reappeared behind him. She let loose a barrage of attacks with her dual blades, and then jumped away when Bash tried to hit her with his tail.

The brown dragon then began spinning like a pinwheel, and started heading toward Stealth Elf. The Elf simply stood there, and when Bash was a few meters away, she sent forth five dummies that looked just like her, each with blades on the end of their arms, spinning like tops.

Bash could not stop in time, and landed right in the middle of them, each dummy hitting him endlessly. They then vanished, the magic that wielded them died out, and Bash was left in a daze, finally falling down.

"Stealth Elf," Silva announced, "has won."

Stealth Elf reappeared again, beside Silva, with arms behind her back. If Spyro didn't know better, he could have sworn that she had a smug grin underneath that mask. The purple dragon walked over to Bash, who was still on the ground, trying to grasp on what just happened.

Spyro then realized the irony of the situation: Bash training hard to fight evil, and then him being beaten by an Elf they just met. The purple dragon could only hold back the laugh, as he stood over Bash.

Bash stood up at last, with an angry expression. He walked over to Stealth Elf's position, staring at her the whole time.

At last, after standing only a few inches from her, he gave a grin, and said, "You fight very well." Spyro and Gill Grunt jaws dropped, not expecting Bash to behave like that. "I recommend her as a Skylander."

Spyro gazed at Bash like he was crazy, but then let out a sigh, nodding in agreement. He trotted up to Bash and Stealth Elf, and said, "Stealth Elf, would you be a-"

"Wait," Silva commented slowly, deep in thought. Spyro turned his gaze to him, confused.

"Is something wrong?" he asked with a concerned tone.

"Yes, very much so," Silva replied, with eyes shut. "An evil presence is approaching."

"You can sense evil, too?" Gill Grunt questioned, amazed as he joined the others.

"Yes, but that is not important now," he quickly insisted, "you must head to the edge of the forest to the south."

Stealth Elf's eyes widened, "You mean in the fields?"

Silva gave a solemn nod, and the Elf immediately took off in that direction.

The trio looked to one another, wondering what was so special about the fields. Silva, noticing this, spoke softly, "I assume you are all puzzled by what lies in the fields." When everyone nodded, he continued, "that is where I found her, lost and without memory of anybody, not even her parents."

"I know how that feels," mumbled Spyro.

"It is also where I trained her since then, teaching her everything she knows. To her, that place is where home is."

Spyro's face was downcast in thought, 'We're quite similar to each other,' he thought to himself, 'except she found someone to care about.'

Bringing his head up with determination, he asked, "Which way to the fields?"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Stealth Elf moved quickly and quietly through the forest, like she has been trained to do. Her mind could not help but relive the memories at the fields. The day she awoke there, the time she met Silva, The moment he decided to train her; All of the important things she cared about was going to be destroyed by the evil that lingered.

She could feel tears on the edge of her eyes and quickly wiped them away; No time to be emotional. Arriving at the brim of the forest, she saw the large field, she was all to familiar with.

She did not see anything that could be evil, however, an airship appeared from below the island's rim, hovering for a second before landing down not to far from the edge. The side opened and a large Elf, or Goliath, stepped out, surveying the area.

"Yes, yes," he babbled to himself, "This must be the place." He looked down to a map he was holding, "Alright, men, land down!"

Suddenly, a dozen more airships flew from below the island and landed beside the previous one, forming a line of them. Each one opened, and Elves with spears marched out, each outfitted for battle.

Stealth Elf could only stare with shock and fear. She has never seen any of her own species before, and them being the enemy made her feel conflicted. Were Elves only evil? Would she have been evil if raised by them? She didn't know, and really didn't _want _to know.

Spyro came out of a bush, breathing heavily. He had finally caught up with her. The others came out a second later, also out of breath.

Changing his breathing to normal, Spyro asked, "Who is it Stealth Elf? Trolls? Cyclopses?"

She only shook her head no, and turned around slowly, with sorrow in her eyes. "It's Elves." she said quietly.

Bash and Gill Grunt gasped, but Spyro only tilted his head in confusion. He walked past Stealth Elf, to look at the approaching evil Elves.

"So... they're elves, what's the big deal?" he questioned honestly.

Gill Grunt facepalmed, and Bash shook his head in disappointment. Stealth Elf stared at him, almost as shocked as before. Her face then turned to anger. "I'm an Elf!" she shouted out, making Spyro flinch. "I would be forced to fight my own kin! Don't you understand?! What if my species was meant to be evil? What if I wasn't supposed to be good? I can't fight them." Her face gazed to the forest floor, and whispered, "I just can't..."

Spyro felt really stupid right then, and deserved everything Stealth Elf threw out. He pivoted his head down, eyes closed in sadness, idiocy, and thought. When he brought his head back up, he had a plan of action. He tilted his head in the other Skylanders' direction

"Bash, Gill, hold off the invading Elves," he ordered.

Bash gave a quick nod, while the Gillman saluted, then they both ran off to fight the enemy. Spyro faced Stealth Elf again, who was now sitting down with her head in her hands. Spyro gave a sigh, and prepared for the worst.

"Stealth Elf," he began carefully, "Even though your species is the enemy, doesn't mean that all Elves are evil. They could have left there own kin and taken up darkness, you can't be certain."

"But I also can't be certain if my species has any good in it," she snapped, head still in hands.

"Perhaps, but not finding out at all is much worse then sitting around and waiting for the worst to pass."

Spyro then walked away to the battlefield that Bash and Gill Grunt had started. They seemed like they were holding the line, but they could definitely use some help. Spyro turned his head to see Stealth Elf still in the same position as before.

"I consider you lucky, I never had anyone to care for me, to actually love me."

The female Elf raised her head, and whipped around, only to see Spyro flying to the battle. She gave a depressed sigh, 'What do I do?' she thought.

Meanwhile, Spyro flew above, looking for the man in charge. It wasn't hard, he was the only person standing away from the action, and was also the largest one of the bunch.

Spyro tipped in mid-air, and dive bombed his head right on top of his, sending him in a daze. The purple dragon then landed in front of him in confrontation. When the Goliath shook off his dizziness, he glared at the dragon before him.

"I knew you'd be here," he sneered, "The master foresaw this."

"Master?" Spyro asked in bewilderment, "Foresaw? Seriously, who uses foresaw?"

"Well, I thought it would be cooler," he admitted, "but, whatever, you're dead anyway."

Spyro gave an arrogant grin, and said with confident tone, "Can I at least know my murderer's name?"

The Goliath scoffed, "Mike of the Drow, of course!"

"The Drow?" the purple dragon asked.

"Yes," he expressed as if it was common knowledge, "The Elves that embraced the darkness. Helloooo?"

"Wait," Spyro said, "You mean there are good Elves out there?"

"Oh come on! Yes! Were you raised in a cave? You just had to ask, you know."

"I thought I just did," Spyro said with amusement.

"uh..." Mike stuttered, putting a finger on his chin.

Spyro shook his head, 'At least I know that Stealth Elf has nothing to worry about.' he thought, then out loud, "Your not very smart, are you?"

The Goliath became mad, and yelled out, "Okay, that does it! Time to die!"

With that said, Mike charged at the purple dragon, using these gauntlets on his wrists. Spyro only dodge rolled out of the way and, with Mike's back exposed, shot off fire at him.

He shouted out in pain, and turned around quickly, using one of his arms to uppercut Spyro in the chest. The purple dragon was hit into the air, but was able to recover. He preformed another ground pound on Mike's head, forcing the Goliath to put his hands on his head while howling.

"Gah, would you stop with the head pounding!?" he shouted out in rage.

"Could you stop with the invading?" Spyro retorted slyly.

"Oh, you're funny, very funny," Mike said sarcastically.

Spyro smiled smugly; 'Only way I know how to relieve stress,' he thought to himself.

Suddenly, Mike was upon him, hitting him left and right without pause. 'When the heck did he get so fast!?' he thought.

The Goliath finished off his barrage of attacks by smashing his fist into Spyro's back, knocking him off his feet and out of breath.

"How do you like me now, Skylander!?" he shouted defiantly.

Spyro would've yelled out a cunning insult, if he wasn't trying desperately to get air into his lungs.

"Now to finish this!" he said with vigor, raising his arm above his head.

"Yes," said a familiar voice, "Let's."

Then, Stealth Elf appeared behind him, and began attacking him with her blades. When she was finished, Mike stumbled around, until falling flat on his back, hard.

Spyro slowly stood up with a weak chuckle, "Glad you could make it."

Stealth Elf looked at him with care, a smile that the purple dragon could not see creeped onto her face. However, it became one of sorrow at seeing the state Spyro was in.

"Are you alright?" she asked concerningly.

"Yeah," he waved off, "Nothing I can't walk off."

Mike jumped back on his feet all of a sudden, with a bit of fear. "Retreat!" he screamed out before running for the nearest airship. The other Elves also ran for it, fear etched into their faces thanks to the two other Skylanders.

When the Elves left, Bash and Gill Grunt joined the group, and Stealth Elf gave a depressed sigh. "Now I'll never know about where I'm from."

Spyro gave a reassuring smile, "Actually, I found out."

Stealth Elf looked at him with surprise, "You... did?"

He nodded, and explained, "That Goliath, Mike, told me they were just a group of Elves called the Drow that embraced the Darkness. They don't represent your entire species."

Stealth Elf was stunned; If they were just an evil group, then that means there's a chance that her real family is not only good, but still out there, somewhere.

She rushed over to Spyro and hugged him. The purple dragon was shocked by this; It must have meant a great deal to her to have this information.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Spyro chuckled quietly, "Just doing my job."

"And you did it stupendously, Skylanders." Silva said, emerging from the tree line.

"Master," Stealth Elf breathed. She let go of Spyro, and ran over to him, and hugged him as well. Though she could only hug his leg because of his height, it still felt right.

Silva smiled, and patted her back caringly. "I hoped you were not harmed, little one."

"Nope," laughed Gill Grunt, "Just Spyro. By the way, why do you always seem to get injured, then rescued all the time?"

Spyro shrugged, "Heck if I know."

Spyro then walked up to Silva and Stealth Elf, who had broken off from the hug. "So I don't think I need to ask if you are qualified to be a Skylander. But I _do _need to ask if you want to be one."

Stealth Elf giggled, and nodded. "It would be a pleasure... I don't think I ever caught your name."

Spyro raised an eyebrow, "Really? Huh, well, I'm Spyro," then pointing his paw over to the other two, "This is Gill Grunt and Bash."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," Stealth Elf greeted with a bow.

"Aren't we friends?" Spyro inquired.

Stealth Elf thought for a second, then responded, "I suppose we are, after all, you did save my home."

"With some help." Spyro added nonchalantly.

"Right," Gill Grunt intervened, "Well, I guess it's time to leave."

Bash nodded in agreement, and the two left to a different area to wait, leaving Spyro, Stealth Elf, and Silva to themselves.

The female Elf turned to her master with sadness. She didn't want to leave him, but the Skylanders don't ask everyday, and it seemed like the only way to help all of Skylands.

"Master... I..." she stammered.

"Do what you believe is right, my apprentice," Silva advised.

Stealth Elf looked up to him, literally and figuratively; He has taught her many things. And now, she will set out to join others to fight evil.

"Of course, Master," Stealth Elf said, bowing deeply in respect.

Spyro gave a sad smile, "You know, you can always visit. You're not restricted to the Ruins."

"The Ruins, I assume, is our destination," she stated, "and I know that, but..."

"Are you two done yet?" shouted Trigger Happy right behind Gill Grunt and Bash, scaring them, and shocking everyone there.

"Trigger Happy!?" Spyro yelled out, absolutely bewildered by Trigg's sudden appearance. "What the heck are you doing here!? _How _did you get here?!"

"Classified information, but I just got bored and followed you," he explained coolly.

"Does Master Eon know you're here?" questioned Gill Grunt.

"Nope!" He exclaimed.

Spyro could only shake his head in wonder; How does Trigger Happy think these things up?

He turned his head to face Stealth Elf, still startled by the new Skylander, "You ready?"

She nodded, and they both walked up to the three others. Spyro opened his mouth to go home, but was interrupted by Trigger Happy.

"Master Eon, energize!" he said in a deep voice.

And so it was that they disappeared to the Ruins, with Silva laughing heartily the whole time.

* * *

**I have to admit, I'm having some trouble thinking up things for my chapters. Some of you suggested that I have two Skylanders be introduced in one chapter, but that may conflict with their origins. Another thing is that some of you want different Fire captains; I personally _really_ want to do Sunburn and my brother wants Ignitor. However, some ask for Erupter, and also a little Flameslinger as well. Now is your chance to vote for the Fire captain. I'm setting up a poll on my profile, and you can just say who you want on the reviews. Don't bother with Undead, I already have that one settled.**


	7. Chapter 7: Roast N' Toast

**Yes, yes, yes! Another chapter done, and sorry about the long update, BTW. Now, the winner of the Fire Captain can be seen in the title and chapter. I have a few reasons for my decision, however I'll just tell you the process. First, I counted everyone's votes, not one was skipped. From the votes, I talked to other Skylander friends for suggestions, and even discussed it heavily with my bro. From there, I read the fire Skylanders' back stories, and made my decision. It wasn't easy, and I know some people won't be happy, but I can't please everyone, sorry! But please enjoy.**

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 7: Roast N' Toast**

Gill Grunt groaned loudly; He and Spyro were at the base of the Magic lodgings building. The purple dragon rolled his eyes; He had expected this from the Gillman.

"Do we have to?" Gill Grunt whined with slumped shoulders.

"Yes," Spyro confirmed, "Master Eon wants us to meet at the meadow to tell us a story, it's not all bad."

"Spyro," the Gillman practically scolded, "Being told a story is for little kids, not full-fledged Skylanders."

The purple dragon shook his head with eyes closed. He knew getting the other Skylanders to agree to this would take some convincing, however, starting with Gill Grunt was probably a bad move.

"Look, Gill," Spyro informed his companion, "I have to get the other Skylanders, just... go to the fields and wait for us, alright?"

Trigger Happy suddenly poked his head out of the ground between them underneath their feet, "Yeah, Gill," the Gremlin said cheerily, "Stories can be pretty cool, especially when they're read to you."

Spyro did not react to Trigg, nor did Gill Grunt; Most of the Skylanders had grown numb over his randomness. Trigger Happy climbed out of the hole he popped out of, brushing himself off.

"Alright," Spyro announced, becoming a bit annoyed by Gill's complaints, "You two head to the meadow, I'll round everybody else up."

Gill Grunt sighed in defeat and nodded his head, while Trigger Happy gave a huge grin and a thumbs up. "Besides," Trigg said as he and the Gillman walked off, as did Spyro in a different direction, "later in the chapter, things will pick up!"

Gill Grunt stared at the Gremlin, "What?"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Spyro crossed the bridge leading to the Training Hall. In the ring, currently, Bash and Stealth Elf were fighting yet again. Though the brown dragon did not hold a grudge, he still challenged the female elf to a battle almost everyday. Spyro smiled with a stifled chuckle; He knew Bash did this just to get stronger, but he still hasn't won a fight against Stealth Elf.

Looking at his surroundings, Spyro was mildly surprised to see Whirlwind in the stands, watching the other two Skylanders duke it out. He strolled over to her, and she turned her head in his direction with a warm smile.

"Hey, Spyro," she said, "What's going on?"

Spyro sat next to her, also watching the match; Bash was losing again. "Master Eon wants to read us a story at the meadow," the purple dragon explained, "I'm just letting everybody know."

Whirlwind nodded in acknowledgment, gazing at Spyro in wonder. The other dragon didn't notice because he was to distracted with the match. She was glad to have friends like these, especially Spyro. Shaking her head, she put the thought off, he probably didn't have the same feelings anyway.

Bash fell down with a thud, the match finished with Stealth Elf the victor. She gave a graceful bow as Bash stood back up, smiling. "Still got to keep training," he laughed, with the female elf chuckling as well.

"Hey!" Spyro shouted out, waving his paws and getting the attention of the two. They gazed at him, and walked over, curious. "Master Eon is calling all Skylanders to the Meadow, he's going to read us a story."

The purple dragon expected the same results that Gill Grunt gave, but was taken back when they both nodded and headed for the bridge. Shaking his shock off, he trotted over to them before they could leave. "Hold up," he called, having them stop and turn around with puzzlement. "You aren't going to complain or something?"

Stealth Elf shrugged, "If Master Eon is telling us a story, then it must be important."

"Yeah," Bash agreed, "What she said."

They then swung back around and continued they're movements to cross the bridge. Spyro gave a nervous smile, 'Everything went better then expected,' he thought optimistically.

"You ready to go, Spyro?" Whirlwind asked, standing beside him.

Spyro looked over to her and nodded, and the duo spread their wings and took off for the meet site.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

By the time Spyro and Whirlwind arrived, the sun had passed over the horizon, putting the whole Ruins in darkness. The area they had come upon was basically a campfire surrounded by blankets for the Skylanders to rest on. The others were already here, sitting and waiting for Master Eon to arrive with the story.

Looking for a spot, Spyro found a seat with Gill Grunt to his left, while Whirlwind settled at his right. After a minute, Master Eon approached with a book in his hands, taking a seat on a large chair that was placed by the campfire.

"Hello, Skylanders", he welcomed, looking them over, "are you ready for this?"

Gill Grunt raised his hand, which made Spyro raise an eyebrow; Did he think this was school?

When Master Eon said the Gillman's name, Gill Grunt asked, "Why do you have to read us this story? And what is it about?"

Master Eon chuckled lightly, "Well, to answer your first question, I know a few _Skylanders_, who would skip reading this themselves." He was eyeing certain people when he said this, namely Gill Grunt, Trigg, and Bash, who all glanced away.

"And for your second question," the Portal Master continued, "This is the story of the Phoenix/Dragon Hybrid. This story is very important, so don't fall asleep on me."

When everyone agreed, either with nods or vocal responses, Master Eon cleared his throat and opened the book he held. Spyro noted that it had a red cover with a strange picture of a bird mixed with a dragon.

"Now where do I begin..." the Portal Master asked himself, as he scanned the pages. "Aw, here we are," he exclaimed on a certain page. He moved around slightly, getting comfortable, and began to read:

_In many legends, there is always a hero who helps others, this is not the case for this hybrid, for he isn't even born yet! This hybrid is a mix between a dragon and a phoenix, a truly rare and incredible creature. It comes only once every thousand years. Sometimes it helps the locals around it, and other times it destroys entire villages. It all depends on the situation that presents itself upon its awakening._

_It should also be noted that this particular hybrid is very powerful. It's fire breath can melt metal in only a few seconds, and has the ability of teleporting, leaving a large explosion of fire. Heed this warning, if one is able to find one as it wakes, make yourself friendly quickly, or else the hybrid will mark you as an enemy._

Finishing the story, Master Eon closed the book, causing Trigger Happy to tilt his head to the side. "That's it?" he asked in a bewildered tone.

Master Eon looked to the cover and then back to Trigg with a nod. The Gremlin grumbled, "Jeez, talk about an exaggerated book."

Spyro stood up and stretched, then glancing to the Portal Master he asked the question that was on everybody's mind. "Why did you tell this story?" he questioned as politely as possible.

"Because," Master Eon explained, "It has been past a thousand years, and there is still no sign of this hybrid. I want you all to be ready, whether from its awakening, or its evil nature."

The Skylanders gulped, except for Bash and Stealth Elf, and Master Eon gave a kind smile, saying good night, and leaving the area to his tower. Everybody remained silent for a while, watching the campfire as it burned the wood.

Finally, Trigger Happy spoke up, jumping up to his feet, and looking nervous, "Well, that was a fun campfire story, but I think I left my bed on."

After that, Trigger Happy threw his arms in the air, screaming and running for the lodgings, until his yells died out. Stealth Elf shook her head, "How can anybody be scared of a story like that, it's obviously fake."

Spyro looked to the ground in thought, and Gill Grunt gave a weak chuckle, "Yeah, I mean, it's just a story right, it's not real."

Bash yawned, standing up, "I'm going to sleep," he mumbled to everyone. He went the way Trigg went, obviously not as scared as some of his fellow Skylanders.

"I think we should all turn in," Spyro stated. There was a general agreement, and the purple dragon turned his head to Whirlwind. "Can you put it out for us?" gesturing toward the open flame.

Whirlwind was a bit frightened by the story as well, but did not physically show it, composing her feelings. She nodded, and using her wind powers, putting the fire out.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Spyro slept calmly in his room, though his thoughts before was in consideration of the Dragon/Phoenix hybrid. Would it make a good Skylander if it appeared? He hoped so, or at least, he hoped he wouldn't have to fight against it.

"Spyro!" someone yelled out, "You must wake up!"

The purple dragon did so with a jolt, looking around his room for the source of the shouting. His gaze landed on a floating, ghost head of Eon, he looked dead serious. Of course, he always did when he used this form of communication.

"Yes," Spyro sat up, fully alert, "what is it Master Eon?"

"The usual: Evil rising up, and the Skylanders need to take action."

The purple dragon gave a swift nod, "I'll round up a squad and head over as quickly as possible."

Master Eon nodded back, and this head disappeared. Spyro quickly flew out of his room, heading for Stealth Elf. The area was still incredibly dark, making it slightly difficult to see. Luckily, he was able to find the Elf's room in no time. This would be her first official mission, and Spyro knew that her stealth would come in handy at this time of the day.

Being respectful, the purple dragon decided to enter through the door, and when he opened it, he was mildly surprised at the scene. Stealth Elf was sitting cross-legged with her thumbs touching her index finger; She must have been meditating. When Spyro made to speak, she spoke before he could let a sound out.

"What is it, Spyro?" she asked quietly.

"Mission; briefing at Eon Tower," the purple dragon replied hastily.

"Right," she responded, and with a blink of an eye, she was gone. Blinking a few more times in confusion, Spyro shrugged it off and headed for Whirlwind's room. It felt right to have her on this mission, but Spyro could not put his claw as to why.

Whatever the reason, the purple dragon arrived at her room, and showing the same politeness as before, entered through the door. She was resting on her bed, peacefully, and Spyro was a bit reluctant to wake her now that he has seen her. He made a move to leave, but Whirlwind was stirring anyway, and inevitably raised her head, facing Spyro with half-closed eyes.

"Spyro?" she asked groggily, "What are you doing here?"

The purple dragon wanted to apologize for waking her, but since she was up, he might as well tell her. "There's a mission, Master Eon is going to tell us," he told.

Whirlwind seemed to perk at that, because her eyes shot open completely, and she jumped out of bed. "Then let's go, we can't keep him waiting."

Spyro was startled by her push for this, but nonetheless agreed and they flew out her window towards Eon Tower.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Your here, good," Eon said rather fast as Spyro and Whirlwind landed on the deck that held the Portal of Power. The lights surrounding had been turned on, allowing the Skylanders to see much more clearly. Eon and Stealth Elf were waiting for them, patiently. "Now," Master Eon continued, facing the Portal. "The evil in this location is large, more so than ever before. It's at Mount Heat, a volcano that has erupted recently. Why evil would go to a treacherous place is beyond me, so be wary."

Everyone nodded as they climbed up the Portal, ready to go. Without pause, the Portal Master used his magic and the trio turned to white smoke yet again. When they reformed, the air was heavy with ash and smoke, forcing them to cough for a minute. Stealth Elf, fortunately, had a mask on, so was not hindered at all.

After Spyro and Whirlwind were finished with their fit of coughs, they looked around the region. A large volcano could easily be seen, with rivers of lava flowing out the top toward the edge of the island. The magma, thankfully, illuminated the darkness, allowing the Skylanders to see through the night.

And what they saw was somewhat scary.

Three large armies took up most of the land that wasn't extremely hot; each a group that they had fought at one point or another. Their was the Undertrolls, with Kildan leading them, the Overeyes, lead by Wilson, and finally the Drow, by none other than Mike. They all seemed to be converging on one location, and at that place, fire seemed to be shooting out like a flame-thrower, burning anyone who came to close.

The trio could not make out who it was, but for the time being, it did not matter. Taking control, Spyro instructed sternly, "Alright, guys. We need to split up to take them down. Stealth Elf, go against the Drow. You probably want some revenge anyway. Whirlwind, take care of the Overeyes. As for me, the Undertrolls are all mine."

"Roger," the two girls exclaimed. They then took off in different directions, heading towards a different army to fight.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Stealth Elf charged at the Drow without them noticing. She took out the first one she could find, and when she did many others began to see her, heading to her location. She sent her deadly dummies to attack the group, and while the others were distracted, she hopped from one Drow to the other, Each time defeating a member. She landed in a clear area, as the evil Elves began to surround her, pointing their spears at her.

Stealth Elf stood up straight with eyes closed. She took a deep breath, and after a slow second, opened her eyes again. She quickly, and fluidly, took out the Elves that surrounded her. To a bystander, it was like she didn't even move as the Elves fell over in death.

The female Elf sensed something, and jumped out of the way as a hand smashed in the dirt where she just stood a moment ago. Looking at the attacker, Stealth Elf narrowed her eyes at him: Mike. The leader of the Drow growled at her, as he raised his arms again, preparing to slam his fists down again.

When he did, Stealth Elf easily dodged rolled out of the way. Bringing himself back, Mike charged at her with his gauntlets. She also began to charge at him, swinging her arms beside her heavily. Just before they connected, The female Elf slid right underneath him. The Goliath attempted to turn around quickly, but he lost his balance and fell down on his face.

Seeing her chance, she ran up to him and jumped into the air, about to stick her daggers into him. However, Mike quickly swiveled on the ground, and smacked the female elf with his hand. She tumbled a few meters before recovering, sliding the rest of the way on her feet.

Looking back at the Leader, he pointed at her, and shouted, "Get that Elf girl, now!"

Stealth Elf gripped her daggers tightly as the Drow Spearman began storming her again; This could take a while.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Flying over head, Whirlwind could see the Cyclopses easily. They seemed to have left their dragons, that they usually ride, behind. She smirked at how they were at a disadvantage, especially since she had the element of surprise.

Deciding to start her attack, She quickly dived and landed in a relatively clear area. She threw out a tempest cloud that electrocuted the nearby enemies. She shot out a couple more, and when satisfied by that, she began running and shooting rainbows at them.

Her constant zigzagging, clouds, and rainbows confused the Overeyes for the longest time. Eventually, Wilson, the leader, saw the source of the distress, and whistled for a dragon. One flew over, and he jumped on top of it as it did. Gaining elevation, he saw Whirlwind still taking down his troops. Diving, he flew straight towards her, holding his ax over his head.

Whirlwind had the sense to look up, and duck just in time. She took flight as well, but couldn't follow the dragon rider, as it was looping around for another run. So instead flew in the opposite direction as Wilson gave chase. While in mid-flight, Whirlwind used her rainbow attack, taking down more Cyclopses. Sadly, her luck didn't hold out as a trooper on the ground threw an ax that hit her side painfully.

She made a crash landing, but stood up quickly, so not to be ambushed. Wilson landed his dragon in front of her, and the dragon itself was about to spew fire at her. Thinking fast, she striked with another rainbow, and the attack had immediate effect. The dragon howled in pain, stumbling back until it fell to it's side, out cold.

Wilson jumped up with ax in the air and slammed it into the ground, missing Whirlwind by inches. She showed fear for a second, but it shifted quickly back to a serious expression. She shot a rainbow at his face, and he skittered a few meters away. When he got back up, more Cyclopses saw his weakness and rushed to his defense.

Whirlwind went into a combat pose, ready for any attack they had. Though she had a lot of fight in her, she still had an itching feeling that it would take a while to take out these villains.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Spyro, while above his enemies unnoticed, ground pounded, sending a shockwave that not only pushed some Trolls to the floor, but was felt everywhere else. The purple dragon didn't hold back as he shot off a stream of flames while spinning in circles. It may have looked a bit ridiculous, but it was effective as it took out the surrounding enemies rapidly.

With this attack finished, he tilted his head down and charged through many enemies, knocking them back, and finished it off with a large fire ball in a poor Trolls face. The explosion took not only him down, but many other Trolls around him. In the distance, Spyro could see Kildan wielding a wrench tapping it impatiently against the palm of his hand.

Smirking, Spyro positioned his feet for a sprint, and shot off like a bullet, charging through any Trolls in his way. As the distance between Spyro and Kildan closed quickly, the Undertroll Leader pulled his wrench back, waiting for a mighty swing. When Spyro was just about to hit Kildan, the Troll swung down, and the force was enough to stop the purple dragon's rampage in his tracks.

Baring his teeth, Spyro pushed against the wrench that was against his head as Kildan did the same. "You won't stop me this time, Spyro," Kildan boldly claimed, "That hybrid will be mine!"

When the word hybrid was said, Spyro lost his concentration for a second, which was enough for the Leader to pull out of the lock, and give another swing, hitting the purple dragon upside the head. Dazed slightly, Spyro looked to the fire and flames he and the other Skylanders saw before as Kildan himself retreated to a safe distance.

There he was; The Dragon/Phoenix hybrid from the story. His red scales contrasted with his blue underbelly, and his beak and wings signified his bird heritage. Spyro could not help but be petrified by his presence; He was, after all, supposed to be powerful. How long has he been fighting? And did he just wake? If he did, then that means he perceives everyone to be an enemy, even Spyro and the other Skylanders.

Suddenly, the hybrid disappeared in a flaming burst. He reappeared a few meters away, and repeated the process, sending multiple fire bursts, and decimating the opposition. The enemy, apparently, had enough as the troops from the three armies began fleeing in terror, not wanting to go against the fearsome hybrid.

Seeing this, Kildan took off as well, and Spyro can see the other Leaders run for the hills as well. Upon seeing Stealth Elf's and Whirlwind's confused faces, Spyro let out a sigh of relief, glad to see they weren't critically injured or worse.

In only a few minutes, Mount Heat was cleared out completely, with only the Skylanders and the hybrid remaining. The hybrid himself was breathing hard from the super attack he just finished, his gaze downward at the rocky ground.

The trio slowly approached him from different angles, in a triangular fashion, careful not to surprise him. Then speaking softly, Spyro said, "Hey... you alright?"

The hybrid seemed to have froze, not even breathing. Then abruptly, he leapt towards Spyro, shocking the Skylanders. The purple dragon jumped back to avoid him, and quickly stammered, "Whoa, hey, stop! We're on your side!"

However, the hybrid seemed to be in a rage, as nothing seemed to get to him. Spyro dodged a few more attacks from his fire breath, occasionally getting so close to the flames that he could feel the heat. The purple dragon slipped slightly, which allowed the hybrid to shoot a fire ball at him, which sent Spyro soaring into the air.

The hybrid wasn't finished, sadly, as he flew straight at Spyro and kicked him forcibly into the ground below. The impact made a loud crash, as a puff of ash rose up into a mushroom cloud.

"Spyro!" Whirlwind shrieked. Stealth Elf was able to hold her tongue, but she still felt the worry for her dragon friend.

The hybrid descended at Spyro's position and looked down at him. The purple dragon himself was breathing short raspy breaths, as he cringed a few times from pain. The hybrid prepared another fire breath to finish the job, but luckily, Stealth Elf could see him charging it up.

Quietly, she ran over to the hybrid, but before she could act, the hybrid suddenly turned around and shot his fire straight at her. Caught off guard, the female Elf tried to protect herself from the flames. It only went so far as she fell onto her back with burn marks almost everywhere but her face.

Whirlwind gasped, dread filling her body. She could feel her body shaking from the anxiety of also being attacked. The hybrid twisted his head to face her, his face strangely calm. Before she could register it happened, the hybrid had pounced on her, driving her back on the ground. He was on top of her, growling like he had caught his pray.

She inhaled nervously, sweat dripped off of her, anxiously waiting for him to attack. The hybrid drew breath to blast fire at her, and she looked away with her eyes shut tight. Was this the end? She didn't even get to tell Spyro how she felt about him. Now, it was too late.

"No!" a familiar voice screamed, and all of a sudden Spyro, looking tattered and dirty, tackled the hybrid, taking him off Whirlwind and shoving him into the ashy floor. Holding him there, the hybrid struggled against his hold. Angry, Spyro shouted, "She didn't even attack you, none of us did! You may not like it, but not everyone is out to take your power! You can take me down, heck, you can _kill_ me, but no one hurts my friends!"

At that last word, the hybrid's eyes widened as his struggling ceased. "...friends?" he repeated slowly. Seeing that he calmed down, Spyro stepped off of him and allowed him to stand. His expression was distraught, completely different from his earlier mood.

Concerned, Spyro stared at him with head tilted to the side, "Are you alright?"

The hybrid gave a slow nod, and Spyro asked, "What's your name?"

The creature looked to the purple dragon with wonder, like no one had asked him before. "Sun...burn," he said awkwardly, as if the name was new to even him.

"Look, Sunburn," Spyro spoke, "I don't know what you've been through, or who you met, but we can help you."

Sunburn shook his head as he looked away, "No... Everyone wants my power, have to defend it, can't let it be in the wrong hands."

"Then become a Skylander," the purple dragon said simply.

The hybrid turned his gaze back to Spyro, who continued, "If you become one, you can fight evil, and we can protect you from anyone else who would take your power."

Not waiting for an answer, Spyro walked over to Whirlwind who was currently healing Stealth Elf.

"Is it bad?" he asked worriedly.

Shaking her head, Whirlwind replied, "No, thankfully."

Sunburn had walked to stand by Spyro, horrified. "I did this..."

"Only because you had no reason to trust anybody," Spyro hastily defended. "You couldn't have known."

Sunburn was deep in thought, and then suddenly he exclaimed, "I want to be a Skylander."

This caught the purple dragon off guard. Still, with a sympathetic smile, Spyro stuck his paw out, and after a short pause, Sunburn stuck his out as well, and they shook paws.

"Glad to have you aboard, Sunburn," the purple dragon said with a grin, and the hybrid smiled back. Spyro turned back to Whirlwind, who was still examining Stealth Elf's condition.

"Can she move?"

"I'll be fine," Stealth Elf answered, pushing herself up, "I've been through worse."

"Go to the hospital anyway when we get back, okay?" Spyro said with a sly smile.

The female Elf sighed, but agreed, and the four grouped together to leave the volcano.

"You might want to brace yourself," Spyro told Sunburn, and before anyone could say anything, Spyro shouted out, "Master Eon, take us home."

A magical, white aura surrounded them and the were gone in white smoke, like every other time before.

* * *

**There we are. Now, all of the elements have their captains, except for one: Undead. As for results for the Fire Captain, Sunburn and Eruptor were tied, with Ignitor a close third, and Flameslinger in last. Thanks again to everyone who voted!**


	8. Chapter 8: Volts and Lightning - Part 1

**So, if you haven't noticed yet, this is going to be a two parter. There will be more of these in the future, so fair warning. And to explain, this is the beginning of the end of a milestone for this story: all the captains have had a chapter! After these two parts, it'll be any Skylander you choose, provided that many others agree.**

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 8: Volts and Lightning - Part 1**

Surveying the land, Master Eon would say it was peaceful; No other word would fit. Standing in his study at the very top of Eon Tower, he watched the Skylanders below in the Meadows, just hanging out. Though he couldn't see or hear them clearly, he could tell they were having a fine time as well.

Down below, Spyro and Sunburn were having a pleasant chat. Mostly about the Skylanders and the limit they can push themselves. The purple dragon never thought about it before, but Sunburn was about as athletically built as him. If he didn't know better, he could say that if they had a race, It would be fairly close.

Smirking slightly, Spyro took a few steps back, and fully revealed his wings. Sunburn could only tilt his head in confusion, and Spyro boldly stated, "Wanna race?"

Sunburn did not give any reaction that he had been challenged. However, after a few seconds, he, too, pulled out his wings, and eagerly said, "It's on."

Then they both shot straight towards the sky, leaving their friends who hardly noticed their absence. That is, except for Whirlwind, who noted his departure with sadness and a quiet sigh. Aware of her mood change, Stealth Elf dropped what she was doing, which was talking with Gill Grunt, and moved over to her. The Gillman tilted his head with a puzzled face, but followed the Elf anyway.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Stealth Elf asked bluntly, crossing her arms.

Whirlwind turned her head over to the Elf, and quickly gave a sheepish smile to avert explaining her behaviour. "Oh, nothing. Just..."

She couldn't think up an excuse in time, and Stealth Elf stared at her in question. Then up to where Spyro was last seen, and back to Whirlwind, who had a blank face. Suddenly, a light bulb clicked on in the Elf's head.

"You have a crush on Spyro, don't you?" she spoke with a hint of a smile, though it was hard to see under her mask.

Whirlwind turned her gaze to the floor, blushing furiously. Gill Grunt looked back and forth between the two girls, absolutely perplexed.

"How do you figure that?" he finally questioned, raising a brow.

Stealth Elf rolled her eyes, "Seriously, Gill Grunt, you've worked with her for how long and you're still clueless about her feelings?"

The Gillman shrugged and waited for his question to be answered. Sighing in irritation, she explained, "Everytime Whirlwind is in the same room as Spyro, she's happy, cheerful. And when he leaves, her figure deflates slightly. You _never _noticed?"

The whole time Stealth Elf was telling the Gillman this, Whirlwind was very red in the face, slightly embarrassed that she had a school-like crush on Spyro.

"Well," Gill Grunt spoke up," I would've noticed, if... if Trigger Happy didn't distract me."

"Say what!?" shouted Trigg over from his position near Bash. Looking over, the female Elf was somewhat sorry for the brown dragon; Talking with that Gremlin was almost always annoying. How did Spyro and Gill Grunt put up with him for so long?

"Trigger Happy!" Bash yelled, "Will you focus for one minute?"

Gaining the Gremlin's attention back, Bash took a deep breath, and asked, "Why did you become a Skylander?"

"To help people!" exclaimed Trigg, throwing his arms in the air in a cheer.

"Yes, yes," the brown dragon, rubbing his eyes, "you said that, like five times."

"Actually four,"Trigger Happy corrected, earning another sigh from Bash as a reward.

"Right, listen, we all have personal reasons for being here _besides_ just helping people. I did this to get in the good books with the Quickwings, Stealth Elf is looking for her real family, and you are here for...?"

Trigger Happy stared at him with limp limbs, blinking a few times. Bash let a groan out; He should of known asking Trigg would get him no where. He digs holes for a hobby for Pete's sake!

At that moment, there were two thuds not too far from the Skylanders. Glancing over, everybody could see Spyro and Sunburn laughing and panting.

"I totally won," Spyro told the hybrid beside him with a grin.

"No way, I was leading the whole time!" Sunburn joked back.

The other Skylanders were either chuckling or laughing out loud at the two Skylanders' antics. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, forcing everyone to look around in wonder. It started off small, barely requiring any concern. However, the shakes quickly picked up, to the point where the Skylanders were having trouble standing.

"What is happening?!" shouted Gill Grunt as he rolled in the grass from the vibrations. Nobody could answer, as they were to busy trying to balance. Trigger Happy didn't seem to care, as he bounced along, shouting out in glee every time he was at the peak of his jump. As fast as it came, the earthquake ended abruptly. Thoroughly bewildered, the Skylanders continued glancing around, as if hoping to see what caused the tremor.

Eon's head appeared in the center of everyone, serious as he could get. Whatever news he had, it couldn't be good.

"I have grave news, Skylanders," he exclaimed, swiveling around to face each person in turn. "Come up to my studies quickly."

He disappeared, and without a word everyone sprinted full-out towards the tower. They all knew something big was happening; They didn't have time to guess what it was.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

When everyone entered Eon's study, single file, they were awe stricken by its magnificence. The roof and walls were domed shaped and were a deep crimson in color. The majority of the room was taken by the Portal Master's desk, filled to the brim with papers. One window was all the sunlight that got in, and near it was a telescope for star gazing.

The Skylanders didn't have time to marvel the entirety of the room, however, as more important operations were happening. Gaining their attention, Eon slammed the end of this staff against the hard wood floor. The top of his staff glowed a light blue, and a projector-like screen filled the opposite wall. Taking it as their hint to watch, everyone turned to face it, getting comfortable.

"When I was a young Portal Master," Eon began. The scene changed to him without a beard; It was rather weird "I had to fight a very evil and dangerous dragon, named Malefor." The scene changed again to a fearsome dragon that was silhouetted for one reason or another. "It took many Skylanders and other Portal Masters, but in the end he was defeated." The scene presented his words.

"There is something darker though," Master Eon continued, canceling his magic to remove the projector screen. Spyro wondered if the slide show was really necessary. However, after looking over at Trigger Happy gobbling popcorn, he didn't think further of it. "He had humble beginnings as any other dragon would; He was a Skylander."

Almost everyone gasped, even Trigg, though it was slightly exaggerated. "I know, I know," Eon grumbled with a sigh, "I didn't like it either. He was a marvelous Skylander, one of the best. I don't know why he did it, but I do know what happened after we defeated him. He fled to the underworld, proclaimed himself king, and has not been seen since."

"Until now?" Stealth Elf put in.

Eon nodded with troubled face. "I had felt his presence, though I wish it was not true. It seems his evil nature is at Hilly Pastures."

"Wait," Spyro spoke up, "Why do you say his 'evil nature' is there? Isn't Malefor himself there?"

Eon shook his head, "Not exactly, I feel his influence, but I can't be certain if it is him or an imposter or something else."

Everyone was silent, drawing guesses as to what Eon may have felt. Spyro shook his head to drive his thoughts out, now was a time for action, not theories.

"We'll check it out," he proclaimed.

"Yes," Eon added, "You will... with everyone."

Everyone was taken back by this, turning to each other to see if everyone else heard it too.

"But Master Eon," Gill Grunt spoke, "Don't we usually just send a three-Skylander team?"

"Under normal circumstances," the Portal Master agreed, "but this is bigger than any of you has faced yet. I want all of you to be there to watch each others' backs."

The Skylanders agreed, and they made their way to the Portal. Upon arriving, Eon explained that only three can be transported at a time, so it would have to be split up. Bash, Sunburn, and Whirlwind went first. Then Trigger Happy, Gill Grunt, and Stealth Elf. Spyro made to jump on the Portal, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him, and he looked up to see Eon.

"Spyro," he said softly, "You have only been a Skylander for a few weeks, but the others have been here far less. You must be ready to lead them all, and in the end, succeed in your endeavor."

The dragon stared back at the Portal Master, determination plastered on his face. He gave a quick nod, and hopped onto the Portal.

"Be careful, young dragon," Eon whispered, and used his magic to send Spyro away.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Upon arrival, Spyro was met with two things. First was the beautiful scenery, being a huge island with magnificent rolling hills. The second was the group of Skylanders in front of him arguing utter nonsense, or it was for a moment. The purple dragon raised a disappointing brow. He wasn't with the group for a minute and this is what happens?

Shaking his head, Spyro lifted it up and breathed a stream of fire, gaining the attention of the group. They stared at him wide eyed, like they were caught stealing. Giving them all a stern glare, Spyro shouted out, "What is going on?"

Everyone fidgeted, as if the disagreement was something to be ashamed about. Eventually, Whirlwind stepped forward, her head drooped low. Seeing her in this state, Spyro's frustration was slightly taken back.

"I wanted to wait for you, but..." she started, but then trailed off. She wasn't known to point fingers, and even now she'll live up to that. Spyro sighed, knowing he wouldn't get a clear answer from anybody.

"Alright, just listen," he announced, waving off the previous argument. "We're going to split up, cover more ground that way. Trigger Happy, Gill Grunt, and Whirlwind will cover the eastern side." He gestured to his right, "and Stealth Elf, Sunburn, and Bash will search the western." gesturing to his left. "I'll watch from the skies."

Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Gill Grunt, who seemed had a finger on his chin. "Who's going to lead the groups?" he pondered aloud.

"Stealth Elf and Whirlwind," Spyro stated flatly.

Stealth Elf's group nodded in agreement, but Whirlwind's group was another story. The Gillman shouted "What!?", Trigg scoffed, and Whirlwind gave an squeak, moving her eyes away so not to meet anyone elses.

Spyro suppressed a grin, and said, "Yes, Whirlwind. From your group, I think she is most suited."

Gill Grunt made to argue, but then stopped himself, looking at himself and Trigger Happy. Yeah, they definitely did not fit the bill for leading.

"Move out," Spyro ordered, taking flight. The two groups began to do just that, heading to their designated areas.

The purple dragon watched them leave, hoping he made the right decision. Of course, he never failed a mission. Still, it was worrying.

Putting his thoughts off, Spyro put in more altitude, and began his own search for Malefor's influence.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Stealth Elf's group traveled in silence, no one daring to say a word. The current situation may be rather calm, but to the female Elf, she was ready for any dragon to pop out. Bash seemed relaxed, not very ready for what ever they may meet, but was laid back enough to loosen his muscles. Sunburn, on the other hand, was focused solely on the mission, his gaze never wavering as he scanned in different directions.

Bash noticed this, and held back a chuckle; He behaved just like that, until he realized that nothing truly bad ever happens. Though it was an ignorant point of view, it was fairly accurate. Looking back to the hybrid beside him, the brown dragon decided to speed things along.

"So why are _you _here?" he asked vaguely, causing Sunburn to stare back at him with a questioning look.

"here, as in being a Skylander," Bash clarified with a smirk.

Sunburn's face loosened from his hard stare to one of consideration. He never really thought about it, but the reason came to him rather quickly.

"So no one can take and abuse my powers," Sunburn replied, gazing at the horizon.

Bash chuckled gently, "So you care about other people then."

Sunburn nodded; In a certain way, it was correct. Having no one evil to steal his power was so that no one could be injured by it. It may seem somewhat simple minded; No one wants their power taken. However, generations of hybrids had to fight off hoards of enemies who would do just that. Needless to say, he was only following his family line.

Unexpectedly, a strange shadow-like dragon fazed into existence, blocking their path. It's eyes were sinister and red, and it released a low hiss that stung Sunburn's ears ever so slightly. He got into a combat pose, but then Stealth Elf said something that shook him to the core.

"Mom?" the Elf had whispered.

Sunburn stared at her like she had lost her mind. How could a monster like that be her mother? He made his way to her side, and asked, "That's your mother?"

She seemed unfazed by his question, only concentrating on the figure before them. In Stealth Elf's eyes, the monster really _was_ her mother, or it was faking it. It had all of Stealth Elf's features, except for a mask.

"Yes, sweety," she said soothingly, "It's me."

Meanwhile, Sunburn was trying to make sense of this, and decided to get Bash's help. However, when looking back to him, he saw the same mesmerized stare as the Elf's. He let a groan out; Did they not see the monster at all?

Curiosity getting the better of him, Sunburn said, in a monotone voice, "What do you see, Bash?"

"Yes, Losin," he practically shouted, "I would love to be part of the Quickwings!"

Sunburn facepalmed, "You have got to be kidding me."

The hybrid turned back to the front, mumbling to himself, and just caught sight of the shadow dragon charging towards Stealth Elf. He let a yelp of fright out for the Elf's well being, and tackled her to the ground, pushing her out of harms way.

Unfortunately, the shadow dragon's path also lead straight to Bash. Looking back, Sunburn realized he was too late, and the creature hit Bash's head, hard. The brown dragon seemed dizzy for a second before falling to the ground, unconscious.

"Bash!" the hybrid yelled in worry. Turning quickly around, he found more of those shadow dragons, a lot more. Stealth Elf was still loopy, too, so he had to fight them himself.

"Ah... perfect," he grumbled to himself, sliding into a combat pose.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Whirlwind lead the group as best she could, and to a bystander, that wasn't so well. She was shaking slightly, and had a permanent frown on her face. She was also sweating profusely from the nervousness of leading. Gill Grunt had noticed for a while, and was a tad annoyed that Spyro had chosen her and not him.

As for Trigger Happy, well, he did not seem to care one way or another, as he was skipping along like there was no evil threat about.

"So..." Gill Grunt called, striking a conversation and glancing around. "You like Spyro?"

She froze on the spot and seemed to sweat even more. She didn't know how to respond. The answer was 'yes', but she wasn't sure if spreading it around was a good idea; What if Spyro heard?! Still, Gill Grunt already knew, maybe he can keep a secret.

She jumped back, her face right in front of Gill Grunt, startling him. "Please," she pleaded, "don't tell him!"

The Gillman raised a brow in bewilderment. "Why don't you just tell him, it's not like he'll hate you for it."

Whirlwind turned red lightly from the thought of telling Spyro. She didn't really have a logical reason to _not_ tell him. But what if he refused? Would she be able to bear the pain?

"Hey," Trigger Happy spoke up, pointing ahead of them. "What's that?"

They squinted at what he meant, and they both gasped. Trigger Happy stared as well, but he didn't really see what the big deal was. It was a wierd-looking shadow dragon thing, and acquiring more details revealed that it was definitely evil, to Trigg anyway.

He looked back to his friends and was puzzled by their faces. Then Gill Grunt had to make things more complicated.

"Lisa!" he exclaimed with joy, throwing his hands in the air for emphasise.

"Lisa?" Trigg repeated, "Your lost girlfriend? She's a dragon? I thought she was a mermaid, or was it a dolphin?"

Whirlwind also seemed thrilled about the shadow dragon, but instead of saying it was Lisa, she said, "Spyro! I love you too!"

"Whaaaaaaat?!" the Gremlin said with furrowed brows. Before he could even come up with an explanation, more of the dragon things popped up, and they did not look happy. Hissing usually indicated anger.

Trigger Happy gulped, and pointed his dual guns at them, and with a glance back to the two other Skylanders, comprehended that he may have to fight alone.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Spyro flew among the hovering clouds that hung above Hilly Pastures. His own search turned up nothing, making him a bit more anxious then usual. He couldn't let this evil dragon win and rule Skylands. Nevertheless, he could find no trace of his presence.

In no time at all, Spyro's thoughts drifted to that of his friends. He never hoped of finding friends back in his old cave. They were great to be with and fight with. He would never trade them for anything. For some odd reason, though, Whirlwind acts bizarre around him, like he made a reason to fear her. Though she never admits it, he could tell pretty easily that she was hiding something.

The purple dragon felt someone fly right behind him. And when he turned around, seeing nothing, he heard another pair of wings flapping towards him. He quickly dropped a few feet, evading who ever it was.

Gazing at his attacker, he was baffled. It was another dragon, though far more evil looking than any he had met before. She, for her curvy body proved that she was female, was also quite large, an adult dragon if he had to guess. Her scales were pitch black, and it contrasted with her bright red underbelly.

"I've finally found you, purple dragon," she sneered wickedly, causing Spyro to shiver involuntarily.

Without warning, she dived towards him again. Spyro barrel rolled out of the way and ended up behind her. He shot off a fire ball at her, and it was a direct hit. She grunted from the impact, and slowed down considerably, and Spyro slammed into her back.

He pushed himself off, and tried to put some distance. The dragon wouldn't let him do that as she grabbed his tail with her paw, and threw him towards the ground. He tumbled for a few seconds, but then began doing many somersaults until he landed with a loud, dull thud on his legs.

Spyro looked back up and his eyes widened. He jumped out of the way, just in time to avoid being smashed from the dragon's paw. The purple dragon was becoming light-headed from all the twists and turns, but he kept himself stable.

"Who are you?" he growled, "Are you Malefor?"

She threw her head back and laughed evilly, then facing Spyro again, she gave a overconfident smile, "No, I am Cynder. My master sent me in his place. He needed to know if what he heard was true. That you are a Skylander."

Spyro narrowed his eyes, "Of course I am, so I can take down people like you."_  
_

She gave a dark chuckle and backed away slowly, "I'll just give you the message before you start boring me, 'Where you started, is where they ended, and where I began, she was lost'."

Spyro tilted his head to the side in confusion, and Cynder chuckled again, "Good luck figuring that out."

She turned to leave, and Spyro thought he had the advantage, however, she wasn't done talking.

"You should probably check on your friends," Cynder suggested, "I don't think they're fairing to well."

The purple dragon was stunned; Did she do something to them? Are they safe? Without a second thought, he turned around as well and flew as fast as he could, leaving the evil dragon behind him.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Spyro first ran into Stealth Elf's group, and to his surprise, she and Bash were knocked out, with only Sunburn defending their bodies and himself. Growling in anger, Spyro ground pounded, sending all the dark dragons in different directions, and they phased out of existence.

Sunburn turned to his friend, looking exhausted.

"Glad you could make it," the hybrid choked out.

Spyro nodded, and trotted over to Bash and Stealth Elf. They looked pretty beat up, with bruises and cuts covering their bodies, and no doubt broken bones as well.

"They saw something that wasn't there," Sunburn explained, walking over to Spyro. "Stealth Elf said she saw her mother, and Bash saw a Quickwing."

"Sounds like they saw what they want to see and hear," Spyro mused, concern etched onto his face. "Take care of them, I'm going to find the others."

With that said, the purple dragon took off again, searching frantically for the other three Skylanders. Eventually he found them, and in the same situation as Sunburn. Trigger Happy was holding them off, using unimaginable accuracy to take down any shadow dragon that came to close.

Spyro used a screen of fire, pushing them back and eventually enveloping them completely. The purple dragon landed and studied Trigg. He was also battered around a bit, with only minor injuries. However, seeing Gill Grunt and Whirlwind made his stomach drop.

They both had many deep cuts and bruises, but they were alright overall. Spyro couldn't help but feel more worried for Whirlwind than any other Skylander he found. She was just so innocent, so fragile; Spyro felt more guilty right there than anytime before.

The purple dragon was able to put Whirlwind on his back, ignoring any pain from the fight with Cynder. Gazing back, he saw Trigger Happy drag Gill Grunt through the grass, and the Gremlin gave a salute; a signal that he was ready.

Spyro gave a slow nod, and they both made their way to Sunburn's position. Eventually, they found him again, ready to go as well.

Spyro gave a heavy sigh, guilt tearing up his insides, and he mumbled, "Take us home, Eon."

There was a flash of white, and their view was filled with the Ruins' luxurious fields. Eon, who was walking over to the Portal when they arrived, gasped sharply and quickly ran over to them.

"What has happened, Skylanders?" he asked quietly, looking at the unconscious Skylanders before him.

Spyro turned his gaze to the ground, "It's my fault, Master Eon. We split up, and we were taken down... I've failed."

"Don't blame yourself, Spyro," Sunburn said defensively, hopping off the portal. Speaking to Eon, he said, "These shadow dragons attacked us, and they seemed to be able to show us what ever we wanted to see. But Spyro, Trigg, and I weren't affected."

"Yeah," agreed Trigger Happy, "Spyro was off searching in the skies."

Sunburn and the Gremlin continued to tell Eon what had happened, who was speechless with shock. While this was going on, Spyro could only think of the riddle Cynder had left behind, the one Malefor supposedly made for him:

_Where you started, is where they ended, and where I was found, she was lost._

* * *

**I'll try to upload as soon as possible, so I don't keep you waiting. Thanks for everyone for sticking with this story so far. You all deserve a metal. Here, have copper. I prefer tin.**_  
_


	9. Chapter 9: Volts and Lightning - Part 2

**I am so sorry this took so long. I was really busy these past few weeks, and I couldn't find time to write. I would like to thank you guys for not leaving this story. I promise to try to write another chapter as soon as possible! Also, I had to send my PS3 out for repairs, so I might be able to get more time to type. Who knows. Anyway, if you don't remember what happened last chapter, and you're too lazy to reread the chapter, I will give a small recap for a short time.**

**RECAP:**

**Eon felt the coming of Malefor and so he sent the Skylanders to a certain area to investigate. Upon arriving, the Skylanders split up to cover more ground. However, they were all ambushed. In the action, Whirlwind, Bash, Stealth Elf, and Gill Grunt were injured. Spyro had met a servant of Malefor, called Cynder, who left a strange message for the purple dragon to decipher. Now, back at Skylands, Spyro takes full blame for the mission.**

**And now, the conclusion!**

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 9: Volts and Lightning - Part 2**

His heart felt very heavy as Spyro laid in the grass of the fields. The looming Tower of Eon only served as a symbol of his failure. He closed his eyes while resting his head, the memory replaying over and over in his mind. How could he have failed them? It was his mission to keep everyone safe and stop evil, yet he couldn't do either of them.

That wasn't the only thing running through his head; the cryptic message Cynder had left was ringing in his head like a bell. 'Where you started, is where they ended, and where I was found, she was lost.' If this was in the point of view of Malefor, than he was undoubtably the one who was found. But what was the other people he spoke of?

Spyro lifted his head off the ground, his eyes traveling to the sky, watching the clouds as they calmly floated by. Despite the situation, he couldn't help but think of what it was like behind the sky itself, or below it for that matter. A whole different world perhaps? Or an endless void of nothingness?

With his gaze still to the sky, the purple dragon stood up, his mind coming back to the message. Spyro may not know exactly what it meant, but he had a feeling of where he can start looking for answers.

"Hey, Spyro!" someone shouted from Eon Tower.

Turning his head toward the sound, he saw Sunburn fly over to him and land by his side. "You alright?" he asked with concern.

"Yeah, just peachy," Spyro snapped with sarcasm.

Sunburn's face held a sympathetic look, "Something's on your mind."

"You mean besides my own failure to protect my friends?"

"We told you already, no one is dead and no one blames you for it."

Spyro sighed, as he looked to the ground with sadness, "I know, I know, but I still feel... empty. Like I need to take the blame."

"If anyone should be blamed," Sunburn expressed, his face contorted with anger, "it should be Malefor."

Spyro looked up at his friend, his mind wondering. He hasn't told anybody about meeting Cynder, or the cryptic message she left behind. However, it seemed unavoidable, and too important not to tell.

"Sunburn," Spyro started, gaining the attention of the hybrid, "I need to tell you something. Well, I guess Trigger Happy as well."

"You called?" Trigger Happy said, popping out of the ground, startling the other two.

Spyro stared at him with a raised eyebrow; Why does Trigger Happy love digging holes so much?

Shaking his confusion off, he began his side of the story during the mission. He told them about meeting Cynder and the message she gave him. Finishing his story, Trigg took up a thinking pose.

"Alright... What does it mean?" he asked.

Spyro sighed irritably, "If I knew that, I wouldn't be here, would I?

"Would you, Spyro?" Trigg retorted, "Would you _really_?"

"Anyway," Sunburn interjected before the purple dragon could reply. "We should start searching for clues. You know, an investigation?"

Just after finishing that sentence, Trigger Happy whipped out his Sherlock Hat and magnifying glass out of no where with an excited expression.

"Your right, Sunburn," Spyro agreed, ignoring the Gremlin. "I was actually going to a certain library."

"And that would be...?" the hybrid coaxed.

"Worthwhile City," the purple dragon told.

"Dun, dun, DUUUUN!" Trigger Happy chimed.

"Dang it, Trigg! Focus!" Spyro scolded.

The Gremlin bit his lips and stared at Spyro with hands behind his back, giving unparalleled attention.

"Thank you," Spyro breathed, than speaking normally, "At Worthwhile, we can search the Worth Library for anything on Malefor."

Sunburn shrugged, "It's a start."

"And not a word to Master Eon," Spyro advised.

"Why not?" Trigg asked honestly, relaxing from his previous pose.

"Master Eon doesn't want anybody to go anywhere because..." Spyro trailed off, too saddened to say the words.

"...Because of the mission," Sunburn finished, looking at Spyro with understanding.

The purple dragon gave a heavy sigh before nodding, and Sunburn returned the nod.

"Then let's head out!" Trigger Happy expressed with a finger pointing to the sky.

"For once, Trigg," Spyro chuckled with a smile, "I agree with you."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The city itself was noisy and busy as ever, and the sudden appearance of three Skylanders was unseen from all the activity. Getting his bearings, Spyro looked around to see that he was in a sort of park. After a minute, he quickly found the library and trotted over to it, Trigger Happy and Sunburn right behind him.

"It's pretty lucky how the portal can go to any previously visited areas," Sunburn commented.

"No kidding," Spyro replied, "Asking Master Eon was out of the book from the beginning."

"Come on, guys!" Trigger Happy shouted from the top of the stairs leading into the library, "What's taking you so long!"

"Jeez, Trigg," the purple dragon yelled back, "I know we're in a hurry, but not _that_ much!"

Nevertheless, Sunburn and Spyro quickened their pace and entered the library with the Gremlin. When inside, the trio could only glance around in wonder at the marvelous interior. The room they were in was not too different from when Eon last visited. The only change that could be seen was a different Mabu sitting at the front desk.

This Mabu was an exact opposite of the other one. He was dressed in a business outfit with glasses and a tie to boot. He was also typing furiously on a freakishly clean desk, obviously having done so multiple times with near perfection.

Spyro stepped up to said desk, and asked bluntly, "Hello, do you have anything on Malefor?"

The Mabu practically froze in place, his fingers still hovering over the typewriter. Slowly, he retracted his hands, and gave the purple dragon a stern glare. Spyro stared back with confusion, and looked back to see if the other two knew. They only gave a shrug and a gestured to keep talking, which he did.

"I was hoping to find some info to find..." Spyro would have continued, but the glare the Mabu was giving was becoming unsettling, as if he didn't care in the slightest. The purple dragon shuffled his legs nervously before looking back again. Trigg gazed at the Mabu in disbelief, then rolled his eyes as he made his way over.

"Look, pal," Trigger Happy spoke, but from the Mabu's position he could only see the Gremlin's ears. In a way, it was comical, when compared to the taller dragon beside him.

Realizing this, Trigg hopped up on the desk to make himself visible and continued, "We trying to save Skylands here. Just give us what we want and we'll be out of your hair before you can say 'I have OCD'.

"I have OCD," the Mabu repeated annoyingly.

"Ha! I knew it!" Trigg yelled out with pleasure, making the Mabu's face grow frustrated as he growled slightly. Trigger Happy then walked back, jumped off the desk, and walked off, saying, "I don't have time for fancy talking when I need a book! Pronto!"

Spyro stifled a chuckle, and looking back, Sunburn was doing the same as well. After their suppressed snickering, the two followed Trigger Happy, who had climbed a book shelf to the very top. At the bottom, Spyro and Sunburn couldn't see if he was actually searching or just pretending.

However, in only a few short seconds, the Gremlin shouted, "Aha! Hey, Spyro, catch!"

The next thing the purple dragon knew, a book hit him in the head. Spyro clumsily walked around, dazed from the sudden hit. Sunburn, indifferent about the incident, grabbed the book from Spyro's head and opened it. He scanned a few pages until he found what he was looking for.

"Check this out!" Sunburn exclaimed.

Spyro shook off his dizziness, while Trigger Happy jumped back down to ground level, and they all huddled around the book. From its appearance, it was a letter. The hybrid cleared his throat and read the page:

_Damer,_

_Please inform the Portal Masters about the untimely death of two Skylanders at Windy Mountain. The Skylanders were Goliath and Morgan, who did it is still unknown. However, don't tell them about how they died; They already have enough trouble with that Malefor guy. Between you and me only, the purple dragons died by multiple deep cuts, broken bones, concussions, and other various injuries. It looked more like a murder than anything, and what's worse is that it looked like they were in each others embrace when they passed. Poor dragons. Anyway, just get to it. Thanks._

_-Ryan_

When Sunburn finished, Spyro was breathing hard with uneasiness. He backed away from the other two, his eyes shifting around with anxiety.

"Uh, you alright, Spyro?" the hybrid asked worriedly, not knowing what he was nervous about.

"We- we have to go to Windy Mountain!" he nearly shouted, voice cracking slightly from holding back tears. With that said, the dragon sprinted to the exit. Sunburn and Trigg glanced at each other with concerned expressions before chasing after him.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

As soon as Spyro appeared in the village he used to save repeatedly, he took flight immediately, heading for his old home. Trigger Happy hurriedly climbed onto Sunburn's back and took flight after him, both still confused about his behavior.

They eventually did find him, sitting over what looked like a two patches of dirt. Landing behind him, the Gremlin hopped off, and slowly approached the purple dragon.

"You alright?" he asked quietly.

"No," Spyro responded flatly.

"Spyro..." Sunburn said hesitantly, "Did you know those two purple dragons?"

"No," Spyro said again, "I didn't know them... because I was only an egg."

Sunburn, curiosity getting the better of him, walked over to Spyro and looked at what he was looking at. The patches of dirt turned out to be graves, and two stone slabs that the hybrid did not see earlier, joined them. One slab said: _Here lies Morgan; Purple Dragon, Skylander, & friend_. The other was the same, but it was for Goliath instead.

"They were your parents?!" Sunburn realized with a whisper, putting the puzzle together.

Spyro tilted his head down in response, and Sunburn did the same after a few seconds of the new info sinking in. For the first time ever, Trigger Happy was speechless; He knew when to remain quiet, and now was that time.

The purple dragon could only stare at his mother and father's graves. He may not have all the facts, but there was no way around it. There wasn't any other purple dragons around, and from the date of the letter, it almost matched how old he was. Putting two and two together, he realized a little while ago that they were is mom and dad. Killed by a unknown assailant, probably protecting there only son: Spyro.

Suddenly, to the purple dragon's horror, he understood another part of Malefor's riddle. 'Where you started, is where they ended...', it was a reference to his birth... and their demise. At this revelation, He dipped his head down low, and sobbed quietly, for it seemed Malefor was the murderer. Sunburn did the same, as the clouds above began to darken. Trigg walked up with a bouquet of flowers and placed them on the graves. The rain began to come down gently, but as the trio lingered, the rain came down hard.

Spyro was glad for the rain; His friends wouldn't be able to see his tears as he cried for his lost parents. He would never know what it would be like to have a mother or father, to be loved by the people who brought you to this world.

However, as a final thought, Spyro lifted his head back up with fire in his eyes. He may not have the power to save his parents, but he knew he could defeat the one who killed them. He was about to turn around and continue searching, but the rain had revealed a piece of parchment from underneath the dirt.

He pulled it out, and read it as the rain persisted its downpour. The longer he read, the more shocked he became. When he finished, he didn't know what to think. However, he didn't even have time to do anything, as Sunburn had seen him read the parchment and snatched it to read it aloud.

_There isn't much time. Whoever finds this, bring it straight to Master Eon. This information is crucial. Malefor's base is at Convexity, coordinates 60B-71. Can't miss it. Hurry, we can't hold_

"Why'd you stop?" Trigger Happy asked, scared about the answer.

"Because that's all there is, it just... stops," Sunburn answered, not taking his eyes off the paper.

"Should we go, Spyro?" Trigg questioned, but when he looked back to where he was, he wasn't there. "Spyro?" the Gremlin repeated.

Sunburn looked up and saw Spyro's disappearance as well. He hastily searched around, with no luck. It finally dawned on him of where he might have gone, and he felt distressed.

"Spyro..." he mumbled, the rain still coming down, "Why did you leave without us?"

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With the purple dragon, he was flapping his wings towards the coordinates that were given. The message must have been by one of his parents. Why else would it be buried with them? He was livid, and didn't hide it in the least. For one, he was alone, for another, he almost wanted to be controlled by his anger. To help get revenge.

When he was approaching his destination, Spyro stared at the site determinedly. It was a large circular platform, with a light purple beam shooting out both ways in the middle.

The purple dragon couldn't see any sign of either Malefor or Cynder. Still, he remained cautious as he landed on the platform. As soon as he touched down, the beam seemed to pulse a couple of times, until a figure stepped out of it.

The figure was a large dragon, a bit bigger than Cynder, and he had very dark purple scales. His underbelly and wing membranes were pale white, and his horns were deathly white as well.

"Glad you could finally make it, Spyro," the dragon said with an evil grin.

"Are you... Malefor?" Spyro asked, going into a combat pose with a furrowed brow.

"The one and only," the dark dragon replied, "I see you were able to find me. You and those other purple dragons were the only ones to do so."

"You mean my parents?" Spyro questioned, gritting his teeth.

The other dragon chuckled, "I suppose they were."

Spyro narrowed his eyes, as Malefor continued, "When I was a Skylander, I thought I had everything: Power, friends, and status. However, I was dead wrong. You can't live without true power; the Darkness. Upon finding this place, I was strangely attracted to it, and the Darkness turned me into an all-powerful being, capable of taking out entire islands."

Spyro grunted disapprovingly and doubtfully, which only caused Malefor to smirk. "You doubt me?" he sneered, "You know my faithful servant, Cynder, by now, don't you? Did you ever think about where I got her?"

Spyro was slightly perplexed by the question, but didn't show it as he kept his stone face. The dark dragon's smile seemed to grow bigger, and he stated, "I took her when she was only an egg."

This time, Spyro's expression was shown in the open, with a look of shock. This caused Malefor to give a deep yet evil laugh. "I was hoping for that. Which I suppose is the time to bring her out. Cynder!"

After calling her name, the black dragoness flew out of no where, and landed by her master; it was a trap.

Spyro was outnumbered and outmatched. There was no way he could take them out on his own. Now, he wished he didn't abandon his friends like that. Spyro now knows that nothing can be done alone, and friends will always be there for him. But he left them, thinking he had to do it alone. How wrong he was.

At that moment a large yellow beam seemed to strike Malefor in the chest, staggering him backwards with a grunt of pain. Looking at the source, he was mildly surprised to see Trigg riding Sunburn, with the Gremlin laughing like a maniac.

"Found you, Spyro!" he cheered, charging up his pistols and shooting the same yellow beam at Malefor. The dark dragon was able to dodge this time, and shot out purple fire from his mouth. Sunburn, thinking fast, dived straight onto the platform with seamless perfection. Despite ditching them earlier, Spyro was glad they could make it.

"Sorry for leaving you guys," Spyro quickly apologized.

Trigg gave a thumbs up, "No worries, buddy."

Malefor growled menacingly, as did Cynder, "I doesn't matter how many there are, you can't defeat me."

"Wanna bet?" Sunburn taunted, getting ready for the battle.

And so it begun. Cynder charged straight for Spyro with the intent to slash him with her claws. The purple dragon jumped in the air to dodge the attack, and retaliated with a fireball. It hit her in the face, who winced from the hit, but quickly regained herself and spread her wings to give chase. Spyro did not disappoint as he took off with Cynder right on his tail.

Meanwhile, when Cynder charged at Spyro, Sunburn and Trigger Happy challenged Malefor. The Gremlin shot a lot of coins with his dual guns, but the ammo only annoyed the dark dragon then hurt him. However, it was a good distraction, as Sunburn breathed a stream of fire. It hit its mark, but Malefor merely shrugged it off and breathed his own fire. The two Skylanders jumped out of the way, and continued their attack.

As for Spyro, he was doing fairly well, easily maneuvering to stay away from any of Cynder's attacks. She seemed to have had enough, though, as she gave a large push from her wings and grabbed him. The purple dragon struggled under her paws, but he couldn't budge. Eventually, he simply threw out another fireball right in Cynder's face. She winced again, loosening her grip, and allowing Spyro to wrestle himself free and continue the fight.

Back to Trigg and Sunburn, things aren't doing so well. Their mobility is slightly squandered since Trigger Happy can't fly, and they couldn't penetrate Malefor's scales. At most, they could only run around and occasionally shoot out an attack before dodging another of Malefor's attacks. Soon, the dark dragon became so irritated, he shouted, "Enough!" and slammed his paws on the grounds. The shockwave sent the Skylanders unexpectedly into the air, and landed roughly on the platform, unconscious.

Spyro glanced at their battle, and with a look of fear, screamed, "Trigg! Sunburn!"

With his attention away, Cynder wacked him to the ground, and he bounced a few times before stopping. Panting, he shakily stood up, taking another look at his two friends. They seemed fine, but they were still out cold.

Cynder landed behind him, and Malefor approached from his front. Surrounded, the purple dragon prepared himself for anything. The dark master chuckled darkly, "Give it up, Spyro. Your allies are defeated, and you're on your last legs."

"That's the thing," Spyro replied, not taking his eyes off of him, "You forgot that Skylanders _never_ give up. Even if I fail, there are others who will stop you."

"You really believe that?" Malefor laughed, "I gave up on the Skylanders because they were _weak_. I haven't forgotten, I just know that they don't stand a chance."

"And what of her?" Spyro gestured toward Cynder, anger growing, "Why did you kidnap her?"

Malefor gave a bark of laughter, "Cynder? She is merely a pawn that can be dismissed at anytime. Why do you care anyway? She is the enemy."

"I _care_," Spyro emphasized, "because she didn't have a choice. She was forced to become evil... and I believe she still has some good in her."

Cynder herself looked indifferent about the topic, but Spyro knew that he was right. Anyone who is forced to join something they had no say in can't be evil. In fact, the purple dragon believed she was the opposite; trapped inside an evil shell.

"Good?" Malefor scoffed, "Any good she ever had has been driven off, this miserable witch has no good inside her."

"Don't call her that," Spyro hissed.

"Oh, did I touch a nerve?" the dark dragon grinned, "You don't like it when I make fun of an enemy that has only tried to bring you harm."

"Shut up!" Spyro yelled, his anger at its breaking point.

"Or what?" Malefor shouted back, "You'll take both of us down? That stupid whelp would take you down before-"

A bright flash of white and a loud boom interrupted Malefor from his ranting. He stared at shock at where Spyro once stood. Instead of the young dragon everyone knows, stood a different Spyro. His scales became a dark purple like Malefor's, and his horns and wing membranes were dark gray. What was stranger was that this Spyro looked calm, collected, and even bored.

The dragon stared at Malefor with half-closed eyes, and turned to see the equally stunned Cynder. Turning back again, he cracked his neck, and said, "Jeez, that counter part of me is such a baby. But I guess I could help him out."

"So you are the darkness within him," Malefor concluded.

"The one and only Dark Spyro," the dragon replied, cracking his neck again. "Of course, I don't come out very often. In fact, this is the first time I got to stretch my legs. Or kick butt, in this case."

"It also seems to hold his hidden personalities," Cynder spoke up.

"You figure that out on your own?" Dark Spyro said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, I don't have much time. Who wants to go down first?"

Cynder growled, but Malefor simply chuckled, "Cynder, take this... Spyro down. I want to see his true strength."

The black dragoness hesitated, but reluctantly stepped forward to fight Dark Spyro. He turned around, and a brow raised, studying Cynder.

"I have to fight a girl? No offence, but I don't like to do that. Reputation and such."

"Shut your mouth!" Cynder snapped, preparing to pounce. "You may look different, but you're still only that filthy purple dragon."

Dark Spyro put a paw to his chest with mock hurt, "Ouch, and I thought Malefor was bad. That takes the cake."

Cynder had enough, and jumped at the dragon. With quick speed, elegance, and agility, Dark Spyro moved out of the way before she landed. She bared her teeth at him, as he gave a smirk. "If I must fight a girl, then I guess have no choice."

The black dragoness tried to swipe at him, but he ducked and retaliated with a headbutt on her throat. As she gasped for air, Dark Spyro rain between her legs, slashing her legs as he went until he was behind her. Cynder fell to her knees, still attempting to breathe normally again, however, Dark Spyro wasn't done. He climbed onto her tail and ran along her back until he was on top of her head, and with finesse, he leapt into the air and preformed a ground pound on her head.

Malefor was amused with the fight; Almost glad that Spyro had turned to this state. When his servant fell to the ground, unconscious, Dark Spyro hopped off her snout and coolly walked away.

"Excellent!" Malefor praised, "If you join me, we can easily take over Skylands."

"That's the thing," Dark Spyro announced, "Even though I use the Darkness, I'm not evil."

Malefor furrowed his brow, but the young dark dragon wasn't finished, "This is still that other wimpy Spyro's body. It wouldn't be right to take it, now would it?"

Not moving, Malefor stared intently at the dragon, not truly believing the spoken words. Looking to the side, Dark Spyro smiled slightly, and turned back, "You might want to watch out."

Before Malefor could say a word, two orange and red beams shot out from where Dark Spyro looked, and stuck Malefor to the side, sending him flying. He hit the ground with a groan, and didn't get up. Dark Spyro looked back over to the source of the attacks nonchalantly, "Took you guys long enough."

It was none other than Trigger Happy and Sunburn. Though rather bruised, they seemed alright. However, they did not look happy. Sunburn marched over to Dark Spyro's position and got up into his face. Dark Spyro was unfazed by his approach, and looked bored again.

"Give. Back. Spyro's. _Body_." Sunburn ordered with rage, not liking the other Spyro at all.

Dark Spyro rolled his eyes, shaking his head, "No respect for the hero."

Suddenly, Cynder's body erupted into a red mist, and everyone looked with surprise, except for Dark Spyro. Underneath the mist, laid another, smaller dragoness, her features almost exactly like Cynder. She was much younger, about as old as Spyro or Sunburn, and looked battered.

"Take care of her," Dark Spyro said seriously for the first time, before bursting into a bright light once again. Regular Spyro came back, but looked rather tired and dizzy.

"Wha- What happened?" he stammered out, rubbing his forehead.

"You kind of..." Trigg searched for the right words to use, "became someone else? I couldn't figure it out."

The purple dragon shook the dizziness out, and stared at his friends before he eyes wandered over to Cynder's prone form. "That must be the _real_ Cynder, the one who didn't get a normal life," Spyro told, his gaze softening from her ordeal.

At that moment, the whole island began to shake, and the beams at the center flickered on and off. The island itself fell a few feet, scaring the group. "The island is falling!" Trigger Happy panicked, "Run for your lives!"

"Where? We're on an _island_," Sunburn pointed out.

The Gremlin instantly snapped out of his hysteria. He chuckled while scratching the back of his head in awkwardness, "Right."

The Convexity island repeated the earlier disruption, except the shaking was harder and the beams nearly went out.

"I think it's time to go," Sunburn exclaimed, "Like, now!"

Trigg hurriedly hopped onto Sunburn's back, and the hybrid quickly took off, determined to put some distance between himself the island. However, he realized that Spyro was not with him. Turning back around, he saw that the dragon hardly moved, staring at Cynder with a contemplating look.

"Spyro!" Sunburn shouted, getting his attention, "What are you doing!? Let's go before the island collapses!"

"We can't just leave her!" Spyro pleaded.

"Why not!? She's only been trying to take us down since the beginning!"

"That wasn't her!" the purple dragon argued, "She was being controlled by Malefor!"

The island gave another lurch almost knocking Spyro off his feet. The beam at the center of the island had finally had enough as it flickered off for the last time. The Convexity island descended fast, forcing Spyro to take action. Swiftly, he ran over to Cynder, and using his paws, tenderly put her on his back. Once she was secured, Spyro took flight as well, and followed behind Sunburn.

Turning his head back, Spyro could easily see the Convexity fall from view below the cloud cover, along with the still unconscious Malefor. Even though Spyro could plainly see the dark dragon plummet to who knows where, he had an uneasy feeling that they would meet again.

For the time being, fortunately, he was gone. And the Skylander can rest easy for a while. Still, the purple dragon couldn't say he wasn't holding a dragoness that served him. Spyro believed that she still has some good in her, He just knew it.

After a few minutes of flying, they found a sturdy, small island to rest a moment. Landing, they all breathed heavily, glad to finally have a break from all the adventure they had. Trigg slid off of Sunburn, and fell onto his back, "Oh, sweet ground, be thy bed for the night."

Sunburn rolled his eyes, and gazed over to Spyro who rested Cynder on the ground. In her sleeping state, she was quite pretty, with her black scales gleaming in the sunlight. The hybrid was not surprised that Spyro had taken her with them; He was just to good for his own measure.

"So, now what?" Trigg asked, standing back up again.

"We head home," Spyro expressed with a smile, which the other two repayed with their own.

Taking a deep breath, Spyro lifted his head, and said, "Home, please."

He didn't include Eon's name in the sentence, because the purple dragon didn't want Eon to know of their experience. Still, explaining where they got Cynder was going to be a hassle.

The familiar white smoke engulfed them and teleported them home. What they saw, when they somehow ended up in the fields, frightened them more than Malefor could ever hope for.

All the Skylanders, Gill Grunt, Whirlwind, Bash, Stealth Elf, and even Master Eon, stood before them, all their expressions different. Gill Grunt and Whirlwind had worried and concerned looks, while Bash, Stealth Elf and Eon seemed like they were going to burst with anger.

Spyro gave a embarrassed grin, laughing nervously. "Hey, everyone," he said, "I see we were missed?"

"Ah, great, we're in trouble," Sunburn added his head drooping in exasperation.

Eon furrowed his brow in their direction and spoke, "You disobey my orders, leave without telling where you were going, and you put yourselves in danger. So, yes, you are in very deep trouble."

Eon sighed, and gave a gentle smile, "But you did stop Malefor, and for that, I congratulate you."

"We don't really know for sure," Spyro put out, "We lost sight of him when we left."

Eon waved his hand dismissively, "Perhaps, young dragon, but you stopped his plans for the time being, that is an achievement on its own."

Spyro gave a comforted smile, as he took a sigh of relief from not only the recent struggle, but also for not getting chewed out. A small groan behind him pierced his train of thought, bringing himself to turn to the sound. Cynder was still knocked out, but the noise has caused everyone to think along the same lines.

"Who's she?" Stealth Elf asked curiously, voicing everyone's thoughts as she crossed her arms.

Spyro didn't know what to tell them, but knew that lying was out of the question. So, reluctantly, he told them everything: Him first fighting Cynder, the cryptic message, their adventure, taking down Malefor, and finding out about Cynder's past.

Sunburn, midway through his telling, told everyone about Dark Spyro's appearance. At this, Eon gazed at the floor in thought. After their story, Spyro summed up bringing Cynder.

"So I couldn't just leave her there, and brought her with us."

"That wasn't very smart," Bash piped up, "What if she's still under his control? And even if she's not, who's to say she won't turn on us somewhere down the line?"

"We don't know for certain, we just need to give her a chance. You know, give her the life she deserves."

As if talking about her wasn't enough, the black dragoness began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing her delicate emerald eyes, and she slowly brought herself up, everyone watching her every move. She realized she was being observed, and looked at all the faces rather nervously. She took a few steps back, and lowered her head.

"...I'm sorry," she got out, and she cried. Spyro figured out why, she must have been aware of what she was doing, but couldn't stop herself from it. He walked over to her sobbing form, and placed his right wing over her quivering form. She stopped her crying to see the purple dragon give her a sympathetic smile.

"Don't worry," he murmured reassuringly, "What you did wasn't your fault, you had circumstances that you couldn't stop... I know how that feels."

Still whimpering, Cynder buried her face into Spyro's chest crying her eyes out. The purple dragon could feel her tears drip on his scales, but dared not move. Eventually, the black dragoness had run her course, and broke away from Spyro, taking shaky breaths, but had stopped the stream of tears.

After a minute, Gill Grunt spoke at last, "So, now what?"

Eon stepped forward, towards Cynder. Once he as standing over her, she looked up, slightly afraid of what the Portal Master is going to do. He swiftly lifted his staff, causing Cynder to flinch at the movement, and Eon questioned, "Spyro, do you fully trust this dragoness?"

Spyro took one last look at Cynder's quivering body, and she looked back with an almost pleading expression. Turning back, his mind made up, he said, "I do."

Eon nodded, and proclaimed, "Cynder, you are now captain of Undead."

He slammed his staff on the ground as the Undead symbol came out and disappeared.

She stared at awe at the notion, but a question rose up that she was a tad curious about. "Why am I the Undead captain?"

"Your time with Malefor has granted you power from him," Eon explained, "This element is the closest to your powers."

Spyro gave an understanding nod, but then a heavy realization hit him. They have gotten all the element captains. After nearly weeks of looking, they had at least built the foundations of the Skylanders.

"We did it!" he cheered, causing everyone, but Eon, to give him a funny look of confusion. He explained, and the Skylanders exchanged smiles with each other when they comprehended his happiness.

Eon gave a chuckle, "Yes, you have, but the adventure is just beginning."

Spyro wanted to give the Portal Master a quizzical look, but refrained from it. He instead waited and listened. "You see," Eon continued, "There are more than just captains that make up the Skylanders. More interesting characters await your findings."

The purple dragon gave a confident grin, and looked over to his friends and allies. Eon, per usual, was right. Though they had hit a milestone, they still had much to go through. Yet, somehow, Spyro wasn't as worried as he was when he first joined. Instead one thought was running through his head, and it only made his smile deepen to a cocky smirk.

'Bring it on.'

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**Oh snap. Guess what time it is. It's time for _you_ to give me suggestions for Skylanders for the next chapter. Your favorite Skylander? A love interest for another character? You decide! A good reason can go a long way. I will pick the most logical choice for the story. Let's hope yours gets picked!**


	10. Chapter 10: Let the Flames Begin

**Hello! I have great news for everyone who likes Skylanders, which I assume is everyone reading this story. Activision has announced a new one called Skylanders: SWAP Force! Check out the teaser trailer, and expect me to include them in this story eventually! Also, to clear up any confusion, I _will_ be including Giants characters. The number of people asking this is too darn high!**

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 10: Let the Flames Begin**

Spyro was sweating like crazy. The exertion he was doing was straining him to a deep level, and it was difficult to focus. The exercise wasn't physical, but rather mental capacity.

The purple dragon was standing on the balcony that connected to Eon Tower. Master Eon himself was standing with him, teaching him how to control the darkness that was present inside him.

The lessons were given to him only an hour after his return, as the Portal Master wanted Spyro to know how to maintain the creature inside of himself in case of emergency. The purple dragon had agreed instantly, not wanting Dark Spyro to take charge again.

It wasn't that he doubted his other self's abilities, but he was nervous what that other self would do if he was free. Previously, he was tame, and only attacked the enemy, but what if it attacks his friends? Spyro couldn't let that happen.

"Alright, Spyro, concentrate," Eon instructed, pacing in front of the purple dragon.

Spyro did as he was told, closing his eyes and tensed up his face. Eon had told him to center the light within him, so it can hold back the darkness. The process was discomforting and slightly painful, but Spyro knew it would be worth it in the end.

Many minutes passed as Spyro concentrated on centering his light, until he couldn't go any further and fell down in exhaustion. Breathing hard, he looked up to Eon with an apologetic expression, and muttered, "Sorry, I just can't hold it for very long."

Eon's kind smile never wavered as he said softly, "Do not worry, young dragon, results will only come if effort is put into it. From what I've seen, you have put everything into these practices. I have the utmost confidence that you will eventually reach your goal."

Spyro gave a smile of certainty, and got back to work with the helpful words of Master Eon.

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Not to far away, on Eon Tower's dome top, Whirlwind watched Spyro's training. She had been ever since he accepted the lessons; She couldn't help herself. To her, Spyro was more than a friend. He had helped stop the insults about her from her home town, and even saved her on some occasions. He was handsome, brave, kind, and a hero. She couldn't help but love him.

"What are you looking at?" asked a curious feminine voice from behind Whirlwind, making her jump. She turned her head around, slightly red, and saw Cynder, the new captain of the Undead. The black dragoness' head was tilted to the side; she had no idea why Whirlwind would be up here.

"I was just, uh, keeping look out," Whirlwind quickly replied, hoping Cynder wouldn't investigate further. To her dismay, the dragoness came up to her side and peered over the edge to see Spyro and Eon still training. Then gazing up at Whirlwind she asked, "Why are you watching Spyro?"

Whirlwind stuttered her answer, unable to tell Cynder the truth, but also couldn't come up with a lie. For Cynder, she was still new to the whole "friend" concept; Being a servant to a dark dragon your whole life does that. The black dragoness couldn't read other people's expressions or features very well. In this case, she was absolutely clueless about almost anything relating to friendship and such.

'How the heck do I get myself in these situations?' Whirlwind thought in her head as she played with her feet nervously.

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"Hold up, Spyro," Eon instructed with a wave of his hand. Spyro was thankful for the break, and took the time just to rest. His head, on the other hand, followed Eon's gaze to see a dragon with a blue cap and a brown satchel, the mail dragon.

He landed in front of the two and reached into his bag and pulled out three letters and handed them to Eon. With his job done, the mail dragon took to the air again and flew off into the distance. Eon looked at the letters in his hands, describing each one individually.

"A letter from Gill Grunt's parents... A "Land and Sky" magazine subscription... Oh, an invitation."

Spyro perked his head up at that. The last time anyone went on a vacation was when they watched the Quickwings. "What's it for?" The purple dragon asked, holding his excitement at bay.

"There is an archery tournament at Gandar Stadium," Eon explained, "They're giving us three tickets to watch the event. Most intriguing."

"Are you going to go?" Spyro questioned. Though the Skylanders could take a break, the purple dragon had no idea how long Eon has been working. Perhaps he could use a vacation more than anyone.

However, Eon shook his head, "Though it is flattering to be invited, I believe you, and who ever you chose to come with you, should go. After all, you have protected Skylands many times in only a few weeks.

"I guess," Spyro responded bashfully; He was still getting used to the praise he has been getting more of lately. "But who should I take with me?"

Eon chuckled, "I can't make that decision for you. Trigger Happy, Bash, and Sunburn are on a mission and Gill Grunt has the cold again."

"Again? Jeez, how does he get sick so easily?"

Master Eon handed the tickets over to the Skylander and began walking back inside, waving his hand from behind, "Enjoy yourself, young dragon."

Spyro didn't reply as he stared at the tickets given to him. Three tickets, four Skylanders. Who was he going to choose?

Suddenly, the purple dragon heard laughter from above him. Gazing upward, he raised an eyebrow; Who would be laughing that hard at the top of the tower? Shaking his head, Spyro spread his wings.

'The first Skylanders to ask, I suppose,' Spyro thought.

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Meanwhile, at the top of the tower, Cynder was laughing so hard that she was lucky she didn't topple off the side. Whirlwind could only look off to the side, trying to hide the blush that had grown from Cynder's laughter. The black dragoness continued her laughter until she saw Whirlwind's distressed expression, causing her to stop instantly.

"Wait, you're serious?" Cynder asked with surprise, "You like Spyro?"

Before Cynder's laughing fit, Whirlwind could not think of a logical excuse as to why she was spying on Spyro. So, forfeiting the thought of lying, she told Cynder her feelings toward the purple dragon. The black dragoness, thinking it was a joke, took it the wrong way and the result was evident. She really was bad at this whole friendship thing.

To answer Cynder's questions, Whirlwind simply nodded, still not looking at Cynder directly. "Oh... sorry," Cynder apologized, her head dipping low. This was also a new thing to the black dragoness: apologizing. Sure, it was the first thing she said when she was free from Malefor, but that was a given. Overall, she had much to learn, as much as any new born.

"It's... fine," Whirlwind replied quietly, not sure what to say. The awkward silence that followed grew, until a familiar voice called them out.

"Hey, Whirlwind, Cynder," Spyro yelled out from behind Whirlwind. The Skylander jumped again in surprise, and quickly turned around to face the purple dragon. With her incredibly red face apparent, Spyro tilted his head to the side in confusion.

Shaking it off, however, Spyro landed and Whirlwind backed away slightly to allow room for him. "I have tickets to an archery tournament," the purple dragon announced, holding up the three slips of paper for the other two to see.

"Where is it held?" Cynder asked as Whirlwind's red face began to die away.

"At Gandar Stadium, do you guys want to go?"

Whirlwind made to answer, but caught herself. She would love to go with Spyro anywhere, but she had already made plans to keep Gill Grunt company, since he's sick.

"I'd love to go," Whirlwind told with a frown, "but I already have something to do today."

Spyro nodded in understanding, and turning to Cynder with a smile, he awaited her answer. Cynder was slightly startled by this, and Spyro noticed as her expression displayed it.

"What's wrong?" the purple dragon asked, showing concern.

"Well," Cynder responded, "are you sure you want me to go with you because of my... past."

She finished the last word with her head facing the ground. Spyro gave a sympathetic grin, as he said, "Of course, you deserve the break. You could do with some entertainment."

Cynder thought about it a moment, but then slowly began to nod, "Alright, I'll go with you."

"Great!" Spyro expressed, "Head down to the Portal of Power, and I'll meet you there."

Without a second glance, the purple dragon took flight and headed for the ground below. Cynder was about to do the same thing, but was stopped by Whirlwind when she placed a paw on Cynder's shoulder.

Turning her head to face her, Whirlwind had a worried look, as she requested, "Please keep it a secret. I don't want him to know."

Cynder gaped at her, remembering Whirlwind's feelings to Spyro, and gave a firm nod, after which she spread her wings and glided to the balcony below.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Stealth Elf had just finished meditation for the day, as she stepped out of the Life dormitory building. She was somewhat hungry, and bored, but she liked the silence that was given. It reminded her of home, and it was helpful to not have Trigger Happy pop up suddenly.

As she made her way to the Mess Hall, Spyro swooped down and landed right in front of her, halting her in her walk. The purple dragon himself had a goofy grin on his face as he exclaimed, "I've got tickets to an archery event! Want to come? Cynder's coming!"

He was speaking faster than normal, but Stealth Elf got the gist of it. She wondered what type of skilled archers there were at this event, and so happily said, "Sure, I'll come with you and... Cynder."

The reason she hesitated was because she was still cautious about the black dragoness. However, Spyro trusted her, so Stealth Elf should trust his judgement.

With a smile, the purple dragon told her to meet him and Cynder at the balcony to head there immediately. When Spyro hastily left, Stealth Elf couldn't help but chuckle at his antics. She couldn't remember the last time that dragon was so cheery.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Stealth Elf arrived at the Portal in a few seconds, thinking it was not wise to keep a jittery Spyro waiting. When she got there, Cynder and Spyro were already on the Portal, ready to go. Getting the hint, the female Elf also jumped on, then a thought came to her.

"Don't we need Master Eon to teleport us to this stadium?" she pointed out.

"He already put in the coordinates," Spyro explained, and standing up straight he shouted with determination, "Gandar Stadium."

The three were teleported instantly, and found themselves on an island where it was mostly taken up by a large oval stadium. It was nearly 4 stories high, with gray being the dominant color. The crowd of creatures cramming to get in was chaotic, with pushing, shoving, and yelling.

"Well this'll be a relaxing vacation," Stealth Elf remarked with sarcasm, crossing her arms.

Spyro could only agree with the Elf, eyeing the haphazard mob with alarm. However, upon inspecting his tickets again, the purple dragon noticed three letters that made him smirk, resting his uneasiness: VIP.

"Just wait here," Spyro said without looking at the other two Skylanders. He trotted over to the crazy crowd, and Cynder and Stealth Elf could only look at each other with puzzlement. Spyro strolled through the chaos with incredible ease, as if he was repelling the crowd away from him.

Upon approaching the ticket station, the Mabu that was standing in the booth, eyed him uncertainly. It appears that he was used to creatures trying something fishy.

Spyro wordlessly handed the tickets to the Mabu, who snatched them and scanned the pieces of paper. The more he read the more he gawked with wide eyes, causing Spyro to be confused. When the ticket master finished, he shouted over the noise, "VIP is to your right past the guards, you can't miss it."

To not strain his voice, the purple dragon nodded, worked his way back to his two friends who hadn't moved an inch. When he reunited with them, Spyro gave a smile, and gestured for them to follow him. They did so when the purple dragon began to walk to the entrance to the VIP.

Surprisingly, the guards, who were two tall black dragons, moved out of the way when they saw the Skylanders coming, allowing the three to pass unhindered. After the checkpoint, there was stairs leading to the VIP box that overlooked the stadium. As they were walking upward, Cynder couldn't help but ponder aloud, "Wouldn't it be easier if we had Skylander badges? That way we can just get into anything we wanted to?"

Spyro thought about it a second and responded, "Maybe, but I think we would abuse it more than anything."

There trek up the stairs was finally rewarded when they arrived at the VIP box. The interior was brilliantly lighted, with gentle coloring and three rows of seats, and the quiet atmosphere was pleasant. Out the window, the three could see the large green field, with large stands holding hundreds of spectators. The trio walked over to the front row, as there was conveniently three empty seats there. Right when they took there seats, with Spyro sitting in the middle, Cynder to his right, and Stealth Elf his left, the show was starting.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the announcer said, shushing the crowd that made up the stadium stands. "I am proud to present the 9th annual archery tournament!"

This was followed by cheers from the crowd, and when they settled down, the announcer continued, "The contestants for today's tournament are... Dodger, Cooper, Pixel, Yorkshire, and Tod!"

As the announcer shouted out each name, the contestant would come out of a tunnel that was connected to the side of the stadium, on the ground floor. Each challenger was Mabu, and would throw his arms in the air, accepting the cheers that were given without humility.

"And now- Hold on a moment... I see... Good news, everyone, a late comer has just arrived! And he is Flameslinger!"

Like the rest of the contestants, this challenger entered through the tunnel, however, unlike the others, he had a quiet demeanor. Upon entering the field of the stadium, the crowd whispered and murmured with each other instead of their normal cheer.

One thing that was clear when the three Skylanders saw him was that he wasn't a Mabu, but an Elf. His hair was tied in a pony-tail kind-of way,with brown garbs and shoes, and a beaten-down bow. The most notable, that shocked everyone, was that he was blindfolded with a red cloth.

That wasn't what Stealth Elf was surprised about though. She was only wide eyed at the fact that there was another Elf. One that wasn't, to her knowledge, evil. Flameslinger casually walked up to the row of other archers that had formed, adding himself to their ranks.

"Now the rules are straightforward," the announcer said, "Each contestant will shoot an arrow at the target, the top three will continue to the semi-finals, and then the top two will go to the finals. First up is Dodger!"

Dodger stepped forward, taking out his bow along with an arrow. He aimed at the red and white target that was set up a short distance away and fired. Unfortunately, the arrow went right over the target, causing some of the audience to laugh or boo.

Cooper did the same, but Pixel was able to hit his target, though it wasn't close to the center. Yorkshire missed as well, and Tod got the same results as Pixel, just barely hitting the target. Finally, it was Flameslinger's turn. He nonchalantly walked up to the position, and drew out an arrow, taking aim. The audience seemed to simultaneously hold their breath, and the Skylanders were no different.

For Stealth Elf, she was secretly hoping for the Elf to win, even though she knew next to nothing about him. It just felt right to cheer for her own species, especially if they don't plan to harm anyone.

After a few tense seconds, Flameslinger released his arrow, and it whistled through the air, hitting it's target perfectly in the middle. The crowd cheered loudly, clapping and shouting there excitement at the Elf's victory.

"The semi-finals has begun!" the announcer came on again with vigor, "the contestants that made it are... Pixel, Tod, and Flameslinger!"

The results for this part of the tournament were the same with Tod getting much closer to the target then Pixel, and Flameslinger hitting his target like before.

The big finale had arrived; The moment everyone was waiting for: the finals. Tod was first up as he drew an arrow, aimed, and fired. Surprisingly, his arrow hit dead center, causing the crowd to cheer. Flameslinger showed no reaction to the Mabu's triumph, as he simply took his own position at the target.

Like the last two times, everyone held their breath, the volume decreasing significantly. The Elf drew his arrow, taking aim, and waited. The three Skylanders leaned in subconsciously, seeing if they could get a better view of the action. It was a full minute before Flameslinger finally released his arrow, which flew through the air.

Time seemed to go in slow motion as the arrow approached the target. The aftermath that followed left everyone speechless, even the announcer. Flameslinger's arrow went right through Tod's, splitting the Mabu's arrow in half, and hitting the target dead center yet again.

Minutes passed as everyone tried to register what they have just seen. At that moment, Stealth Elf couldn't hold in her excitement any longer as she jumped up with a fist in the air. "Yes!" she exclaimed, "He did it!"

She finally realized what she had just done, as she landed back on her seat. Spyro and Cynder stared at her with wonder, as she awkwardly cleared her throat and got comfortable again in her chair.

With Flameslinger, his victory celebration wasn't too different from Stealth Elf's. First, he did a fist pump, high fived a random Mabu citizen that some how got onto the field, and moon walked out of the stadium and into the tunnel.

All three Skylanders saw this display, and could only stare at the Elf's last location, completely flabbergasted.

"And _that_," someone said behind the trio, "is why you bet on the blindfolded Elf... BOOM!"

"That was... quite a performance," Cynder commented, not taking her eyes off the field, and Spyro and Stealth Elf said at the same time, "Yep."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

After the awards ceremony, with Flameslinger surprisingly absent, the trio made their way back down the stairs to the now calm, and rather tranquil, entrance. As the numerous spectators left the stadium, the Skylanders found an open spot to rest for a moment.

Surveying the passing citizens, Spyro said to his companions, "What did you think of the event?"

"It was enjoyable," Cynder replied, then looking at the ground, she commented, "that Flameslinger was strange though."

"Have to agree with that," the purple dragon nodded, "How can he fire so perfectly when he was blindfolded?"

"It's nothing I'm familiar with," Cynder muttered, putting a claw to her chin.

Stealth Elf would have agreed, if she wasn't so deep in thought. She was extremely curious about the other Elf; Witnessing someone completely blindfolded shoot three perfect arrows dead center on a target was not common. She considered herself skillful, but what he had done almost seemed impossible.

She had to meet him.

Looking over to the two dragons, she suggested, "Why don't you two explore a little, I want to check something else."

And she disappeared, in her usual fashion of invisibility. Spyro and Cynder stared at where Stealth Elf used to be. They then faced each other, looking at the other's eyes. Hastily, the duo looked away, a slight tinge of red present on each face; They didn't know they were standing that close to each other.

"So..." Spyro started awkwardly, still not looking at Cynder, with her no different. "Do you want something to eat?"

"...Sure," she answered, quickly trotting away. Cynder couldn't quite put a claw on it, but she had a strange feeling just then. One she has never felt before in her life, then again, a lot of things were new, now that she was free. Still, this feeling felt... erratic. It made her heart beat faster and her face feel hot. A sense of longing was present within her. What the heck was wrong with her?

Shaking it off, she continued over to the exceptionally close food court adjoining Gandar Stadium; She can think about it later. Spyro remained where he was a second longer before moving to follow Cynder. He wondered where Stealth Elf went, but he couldn't really find out.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Not knowing where to start her search, Stealth Elf walked the perimeter of the stadium. It wasn't much, but she had to start somewhere. She was having little success with her quest, as the time ticked away. She was beginning to think she should start searching in the stadium, yet something compelled her to continue on the outside. This tactic was finally compensated when she saw a familiar Elf sneak off into the nearby forest.

The female Elf followed, being quiet so to see what he was doing. Flameslinger was heading pretty deep into the forest, as the canopy overhead became thicker and thicker. It came to the point where light just barely trickled in, and Stealth Elf had to squint slightly to see. However, Flameslinger had finally stopped and looked around suspiciously, seeing if anyone had tailed him.

When he thought no one was there, Stealth Elf was _that_ stealthy, the male Elf took out his typical brown bow and took aim at some nearby Chompies that were wondering almost blindly. He shot a Chompy, took out an arrow, and shot another Chompy, repeating the process.

'He's practicing,' Stealth Elf figured out in her head, 'commendable.'

A loud, distressed yell snapped her out of her thoughts, and she eyed the source of the sound. Not to far away, in a pond, a transparent fire spirit was drowning. How he had stumbled upon an obvious pool of water was beyond Stealth Elf's comprehension.

The spirit himself was ghost like, as are all spirits, but he had an orange glow about him. Spirits, overall, are nomads, never staying in one place for very long. They monitor the flow of their element, and adjust it when it begins to imbalance the others. They rarely converse with others, and them needing help was even more seldom. Still, this one was in trouble, and it was Stealth Elf's job as a Skylander to help those in need.

However, before the female Elf could make a move, Flameslinger was already sprinting to the spirit's side. He grabbed his out stretched and struggling arm and pulled him to the shore. When this was accomplished, the fire spirit rested on the forest floor, taking deep breaths from the scare.

"T-Thank you, k-kind sir," the spirit sputtered.

"Heh, no problem," Flameslinger responded. He then gave a half salute and began to walk back to his training.

"Wait! Wait!" the spirit called out, causing the Elf to turn around with a raised brow. The spirit hovered back up in his ghostly form, and went over to Flameslinger, "I must reward you for saving my life."

"I didn't think I did _that_ well," mused Flameslinger, putting his hands on his hips. "Maybe a _really_ good thank you can suffice."

The fire spirit shook his head, "Oh no, you don't know how thankful I am."

The spirit weaved a sort of magic in the air and two objects seamlessly appeared, one in each hand. In his right, a golden-colored bow, it seemed to shimmer in the sunlight, and as Flameslinger took it, he could feel warmth radiate from it. The second gift, in the spirit's left hand, was a pair of brown boots. They looked almost exactly like Flameslinger's current footwear, but these also radiated heat as it glowed a faint orange.

Taking the boots as well, Flameslinger instantly ripped off his current pair and quickly slipped on the boots given to him. He examined them, pulling off heroic poses, and when he was satisfied, he felt slightly giddy.

"Score," he whispered with a wide grin.

"The bow," the spirit explained, "can allow you to shoot fire arrows that have a lingering effect. Quite useful for some tough enemies. The boots can leave a trail of flames, capable of setting any enemy ablaze. And when the trail connects with each other... well, you find out."

Flameslinger's smile faded to confusion, "Wait, enemies? Sorry to say I'm not a hero, but I'm not a hero."

The fire spirit merely chuckled, "On the contrary, I believe you can become one. All you need is the right motivation."

"You mean besides being the best archer in Skylands?"

"Yes."

The male Elf nodded, as he put his new bow on his back, discarding his old one. "Ah, I see, so I have to be the... best runner in Skylands?" he offered, gesturing to his new boots.

The spirit laughed again, and stated, "No, my friend, but you will see eventually. In fact, in only a few minutes, you will understand completely."

"I may not be an idiot, but I think I may need more time than that."

"Humor," Spirit remarked, chuckling, "is a good start."

The fire spirit floated away, phasing right through the tree tops above, leaving Flameslinger alone, or so he thought. Stealth Elf had watched the whole exchange. First thing she noticed was that Flameslinger was definitely not a humble archer, but a wise-cracking, overconfident Elf with fancy skills with a bow and arrow. Still, she had to talk to him, perhaps he knew other Elves that would lead to her real family.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed through the shrubbery that was her hiding spot. Flameslinger, on instinct, retracted his bow and aimed an arrow right at her. Upon seeing her, however, Flameslinger relaxed his shot, placing his bow away. He crossed his arms, looking her over, before saying, "You going to introduce yourself?"

Stealth Elf narrowed her eyes at his brash behavior, but answered the question. "I'm Stealth Elf, I've been following you for a while."

"Fitting name, considering I didn't see you in my mind's eye," he replied curtly.

The female Elf rolled her eyes, "How can you see at all with that blindfold?"

"Easy, my eyes are so awesome, they can see through this. That's, at least, as far as I can tell. I haven't really figured it out."

Shaking her head, she told him everything she had seen to the point where she revealed herself. At the end of the tale, Flameslinger was laughing quite hard.

"What's so funny?" Stealth Elf asked, not liking his sense of humor so far.

The male Elf calmed down enough to answer her question, but he still had a few bouts of laughter, "It's just, you say that you followed me because of my skill. But I think there is a different reason you may or may not be aware of."

"Oh please," Stealth Elf snapped, waving her hand dismissively.

"You actually like me, huh?" Flameslinger said as if it were true.

"Ridiculous!" Stealth Elf answered rather quickly. "The only other reason for following you is to ask-"

"There! I found him!" shouted a new masculine voice right behind Stealth Elf. At that moment, Flameslinger grabbed her shoulders and threw themselves to the side, just in time to avoid a charging Drow Goliath. The monster, instead, crashed into a tree, making it whine with pain as it held its head.

"Drow? Here?!" Stealth Elf shouted in alarm. Why would her sworn enemies come to an island that only held a stadium? Also, she couldn't help but think about the irony of the situation.

She couldn't think any further, as a dozen Drow Spearmen followed behind pointing their weapons at the Elf duo. Looking back at the Goliath, Stealth Elf could recognize the Drow Elf from anywhere.

"Why are you here, Mike?" she questioned, eyeing the leader of the Drow.

"Friends of yours?" Flameslinger asked with a hint of amusement as he drew his bow once again.

"Gah, I don't have time to answer your stupid questions!" Mike barked, still rubbing his head. "Get them! And get those enchanted items!"

"You wish!" the male Elf exclaimed as he shot a fire arrow at an incoming Spearman. The Drow was hit and almost instantly set ablaze by the enchantment, causing everyone else to freeze and watch the dying evil Elf.

Flameslinger stared at his new bow with newfound fondness, as he quietly said, "Awesome."

Shaking off their comrades death, the Drow charged again, in mass this time. Stealth Elf drived her daggers into two different Elves, and leaped over the rest to attack from behind. Stealth Elf jumped back aways, allowing him room to fire off arrows.

Stealth Elf continued to strike each enemy with anger as her fuel; Any moment to take out these evil Elves was good for her. Meanwhile, Flameslinger casually fired arrow after arrow at the enemies.

"3... 4..." he counted after each takedown.

After the Spearmen were all defeated, Mike growled and charged at Flameslinger. The male Elf was prepared as he aimed another arrow at the charging Goliath, waiting for the perfect moment. Suddenly, the large Drow changed course, instead heading straight for Stealth Elf. Taken by surprise, the female Elf couldn't dodge the incoming hand as it grabbed her waist, lifting her up.

Acting fast, Flameslinger shouted, "Distract him! I have an idea!"

'_He _has an idea?' Stealth Elf thought as she struggled against the hand. 'Oh brother.'

Nevertheless, the female Elf wielded her dual daggers and shoved them into Mike's hand. The Goliath wailed as he released Stealth Elf, who dropped to the ground and quickly cut Mike's back legs, causing him to fall to his knees. While this was happening, Flameslinger had begun making a trail of fire, circling around the Goliath swiftly.

When Stealth Elf was out of the way, Flameslinger connected his trial of fire, and the interior of the circle became a column of fire, cooking anything inside. The two Elves stared at the fire with wide eyes, not expecting something like that to happen. Flameslinger recovered and threw his arms up in the air and shouted, "I love these things!"

After the fire died down, all there was left was a smoldered floor and a soot-covered Goliath. Mike was dazed, and simply fell to the ground with a grunt, unconscious. How he had survived, the two didn't know, but it hardly mattered at the time; They had beaten him, that's all that mattered.

"High five?" the male Elf asked, his hand hovering for the return.

Stealth Elf sighed irritably, but returned the gesture, albeit mildly. Regardless, Flameslinger fist pumped the second time that day in triumph. A few seconds past, and then he asked, "So am I a Skylander or what?"

Stealth Elf face palmed; Does he ever say anything serious?

"Holy- Did you guys do this?" asked a familiar dragon who landed a short ways away, followed by another familiar black dragoness.

"Spyro, Cynder, how did you find us?" Stealth Elf asked honestly. She didn't think they would discover their location anytime soon.

"Well, when you see a large flaming column out of no where..." Spyro commented.

"Who did that anyway?" Cynder asked.

"Me, of course. Isn't it obvious?" Flameslinger spoke up.

The two dragons regarded him for a few moments before they recognized him. "Your that archer at the stadium," Spyro connected.

"Yeah, that's right. Want an autograph?" Flameslinger questioned.

Cynder gave perplexed expression has her brows furrowed, "Why would we want your autograph?"

Flameslinger made to speak, but stopped, then pondering the notion himself. He shrugged, "No idea, all the fans ask for them though."

"It's like a more sane version of Trigger Happy," Spyro whispered to Cynder, who chuckled at the comment.

"So do I get to be a Skylander now?" The male Elf asked excitedly.

"Wha- how do you know that we are Skylanders?" Spyro asked quizzically.

"Just a guess," Flameslinger replied flatly. "And besides, if taking out this guy," gesturing to prone Mike, "is not enough, I don't know what is."

The purple dragon inspected the Goliath, confirming that it was the leader of the Drow. Spyro was mildly surprised by this; how can someone they just met, take down a guy like this so fast? Saving the questions for later, he announced, "Yes, you can be a Skylander."

"Sweet!" Flameslinger squealed quietly.

"Now where do we dump this guy's sorry butt off to?" Stealth Elf pondered aloud.

"We can ask Master Eon when we get back," Spyro replied, "come on, let's go home."

"Home?" Flameslinger asked, barely containing his excitement, "As in, the Ruins?"

Cynder narrowed her eyes at the male Elf, "How do you know of that?"

"Uh... lucky guess?" Flameslinger suggested, scratching the back of his head.

Rolling his eyes with a smile, Spyro gestured for everyone to gather, once they were, he shouted, "To the Ruins."

"And beyond!" Flameslinger chimed, right before the group was teleported away.

* * *

**Man, I never expected this chapter to be this long, it just... spilled out. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and thanks for the suggestions for the next Skylander to be included in the story. Here's a question: What other side adventures, besides recruiting, should the Skylanders go on? I have a couple of ideas, but I want your suggestions! They're important too! Also, I got the idea about the "Land and Sky" magazine from NewYearJirachi.**


	11. Chapter 11: Blink and Destroy

**Man, you can't believe how sorry I am to upload this late. I'm a lazy idiot sometimes. Anyway, I did some quick math, and found out there is, in total, about 80 Skylanders. So... this could take a while. Also, I'm learning that it's hard to include everyone in one chapter while also gaining new people. It's challenging, but also worth it.**

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 11: Blink and Destroy**

The day started like any other for the Skylanders: get up, have a morning stretch, and go eat breakfast. Though what they ate varied, it was still enjoyable to them to simply eat and talk.

Spyro entered the Mess Hall, his eyes still half closed from drowsiness. Dragging his feet slightly, he made his way to the buffet table and grabbed a few meat delicacies. Then, when he turned around to find a seat, his eyes shot open in surprise at the other Skylanders already in the room. He had hardly noticed them.

Placing his food-filled plate in his mouth to carry it, he looked around for an open spot, and saw Trigger Happy and Gill Grunt wave him down at a table not too far away. Smiling despite having something in his mouth, Spyro walked toward them and took a seat next to Gill Grunt, with Trigger Happy sitting across from him.

"How'd you sleep, Spyro?" Gill asked with a chuckle as he took a bite out of some cheese

"Not so well," the purple dragon admitted, rubbing his eyes. "I was up kind of late training with Master Eon again."

"You should get to bed sooner, Spyro," Trigg scolded, waving a drumstick around.

"Says the Gremlin who drinks caffeine all day," Spyro shot back with a wry grin.

"Speaking of which," Trigger Happy said, quickly zipping over the buffet table, zipping back and downing a cup of coffee.

The three laughed together and were about to continue their conversation, when another voice spoke up.

"Hey! Spyro, what's up?" Flameslinger asked as he took a seat by Trigger Happy.

"I... what?" Spyro asked honestly, not understanding the lingo.

"How are you?" the male Elf slowly, as if speaking to a child.

The purple dragon rolled his eyes at his quirk and replied, "I'm fine. Thanks for asking. What have you been up to since you got here?"

"Eating," Flameslinger stated simply, "Duh."

"I mean here in the Ruins," the purple dragon clarified, face palming.

"Oh. Well, mostly training, though I do like the occasional nap as well."

Trigger Happy suddenly became excited, "You take naps too?! So do I!"

"If taking an occasional nap means sleeping all day," a female voice behind Flameslinger said.

The male Elf turned around to see Stealth Elf sitting at another table, facing away. She usually sat by herself, eating quickly before leaving right after. Nobody knew what she looked like under her mask as well; Whether because she's self-conscious or it was part of her training.

"Why don't you come join us for once?" Flameslinger joked, gesturing to the other Skylanders. "We are a _team_ after all."

"I prefer to eat alone," she said with the same excuse that she always uses, "it's distracting, and we should all focus on training."

"Aw, come on, Stealth Elf," Trigg begged, "you gotta loosen up sometimes."

She didn't respond, instead she stood up and walked out of the Mess Hall, ignoring the Gremlin's pleas. Trigger Happy pouted where he sat, his eyes furrowed, "At least I stay loose."

"Same here, buddy," Flameslinger acknowledged, raising his glass before drinking its contents.

"I'm sure she's just acting that way because of your antics," Sunburn commented, taking a seat next to Spyro, "She wasn't this bad until you came by anyway."

"That can't be it," Flameslinger scoffed, pushing his hands away in disbelief.

"You're right," Sunburn said with a smirk, "it's probably because of your apathy."

"Hey, I have loads of apathy!"

Spyro chuckled, "If you knew what 'apathy' meant, you wouldn't say that."

Gill Grunt tapped the purple dragons shoulder, making Spyro turn towards him with a raised eyebrow. "What _does_ it mean?"

The purple dragon made a side glance to Flameslinger, grinning, before saying, "lack of enthusiasm."

"Aw, dang it!" Flameslinger shouted, placing a hand on his face, "I walked into _that_ one."

Sunburn shook his head with a small chuckle, then he turned to the rest of the group, "So what are you guys doing today?"

"Training," Flameslinger stated with a determined expression, still a bit miffed by the earlier topic, "I'll show you and Stealth Elf that I can have enthusiasm."

"That I got to see," Bash put in suddenly from a different table, causing the male Elf to cross his arms in annoyance.

"Anyway," Trigg spoke up, "I'm going to take a nap."

"Take a nap?" Gill Grunt exclaimed in doubt, "You just woke up an hour ago."

"I know," the Gremlin replied like it was obvious, "and I am exhausted."

Gill sighed in exasperation, and turned to Spyro for his agenda for the day. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, the purple dragon took the hint, and said, "I'm not sure what I'm doing today. Everyone else is busy apparently."

"Don't worry, Spyro," the Gillman reassured, patting the dragon on the back, "You and me can do nothing together today."

"That... doesn't sound very fun," the purple dragon expressed, eyeing Gill Grunt wearily.

"Eh, we'll figure something out," he responded with a shrug. Spyro shook his head, wondering if Cynder or Whirlwind would know what to do as he ate the rest of his food. They were the only ones not at breakfast right away, choosing to sleep in instead of eating with the rest.

Spyro understood why Cynder slept in; her past must be hard to look at from her point of view. Probably suffering from nightmares about the prior experiences. The purple dragon felt sorry for her, but she consistently refuses to talk about it. He knew it wasn't healthy, but he also didn't want to push for it. She'll open up when she wants to.

As for Whirlwind, Spyro didn't know why she woke up later than the others. Maybe she stays up late reading, or watches the stars all night. The purple dragon decided to ask her when he found the time. Until then, he would have to be bored with Gill Grunt.

'Joy, oh joy,' Spyro thought grudgedly, taking the last bite from his bacon.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

As the Skylanders all left the Mess Hall at once, strangely, everyone went in different directions. Sunburn went to the library, stating before that he wanted to catch up on the current history, considering he was brought into this world only recently. Trigger Happy seemed to skip his way over to a nearby tree on the edge of the island, singing excitedly about his nap.

Bash and Flameslinger casually walked to the bridge leading to the training hall, mostly to see how the fire Elf could be 'enthusiastic'. As for Spyro and Gill Grunt, they could only watch as everyone left them at the entrance. The purple dragon sighed, he knew he could join anyone of them, but the reasons for each one pushed it away.

He wasn't currently tired, or at least to the point of sleeping where he stood, and he studied and trained yesterday. To say he had nothing to do was an understatement, he had nothing to do _and_ he was bored. Spyro slowly drifted over to the center of a meadow and just plopped down, his underbelly resting on the soft, warm grass. Gill Grunt joined him, sitting to Spyro's right while leaning back on his hands.

The purple dragon flipped onto his back, gazing at the beautiful blue sky. He let his mind wander to some books he had read recently. He had become interested in many adventure books, the irony was there. However, reading about them made him see things in a different point of view. In most of Spyro's readings, he would notice a bit of romance sprinkled in once in a while.

He didn't know what to think about that subject, not having any experience in love overall. It made him wonder what his romance would be, which instantly brought up images of Cynder and Whirlwind. Growing slightly red, he shook those thoughts out, not wanting to embarrass himself in any way.

So instead he stared up at the occasional passing cloud. Sometimes his mind would think about the only dragoness' in the Ruins. Heck, he wondered what love truly felt like, with a partner. Spyro gave a heavy sigh, which Gill Grunt noticed, asking, "What's the matter, Spyro?"

The purple thought a second for an answer. He could trust the Gillman about his own musings, but the real question was did he want to. "Nothing," Spyro answered with another sigh, "just... thinking."

"Yeah? I do that a lot as well," Gill Grunt said back while smiling at the sky.

"Yes! I made it! Awesome!" a strange robotic voice exclaimed excitedly behind the two Skylanders. Gill Grunt looked over his shoulder, while Spyro simply looked up from his position. They both saw a green dragon with bronze paws. What was most surprising, though, was what he was wearing.

Placed on the dragon's back, where his wings should've been, was a blue and gold wing set, with matching headgear. His round, glowing, yellow eyes gazed around the area in wonder. Spyro and Gill Grunt could only stare at him, not truly believing their eyes. The purple dragon rolled onto his feet once again, and stood up.

"And you are...?" Spyro asked curiously, not sure how to behave to something so bizarre.

The dragon seemed to flinch from being addressed by the purple dragon, which made Spyro even more interested. The dragon composed himself quickly, and said with a happy tone, "to become a Skylander of course!"

The dragon went over to the duo while Gill Grunt stood back up as well. "I've heard many great things from the Skylanders. And I never thought I could ever become one. But now with my gear," he gestured to his wings, "I think I can do just that."

"You still didn't answer my question," Spyro stated flatly, tilting his head to the side.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you meant why I was here. Anyway, I'm Drobot. A pleasure to finally meet you," the dragon said, holding out his paw to shake.

"You've heard of me?" Spyro asked surprisingly, shaking Drobot's paw. He didn't think he had become that famous so fast. He didn't even think people knew his name.

"Well, not you specifically, but a Skylander," Drobot clarified with a hint of eagerness.

"Right, so you wanted to be a Skylander?" The purple dragon questioned, making sure he heard right.

"You betcha!" Drobot nodded with a grin, though it was hard to tell with his headgear.

"Look kid," Gill Grunt said sternly, "You can't just walk up here and expect to become a Skylander instantly. We had to work our way to this."

"Well, technically, I flew here," Drobot corrected, earning a groan of irritation from the Gillman for his troubles, "and I can show you that I'm capable of being a Skylander. Just give me a chance! I promise I can do this."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, kid," Gill Grunt shot out.

"Gill, give him a break," Spyro whispered to the Gillman. Though Gill Grunt was right about having to earn the title of Skylander, Drobot definitely seemed able to do just that. Plus, it would eliminate their boredom for the time being.

With a small smile, Spyro gestured toward Ion Tower and instructed, "We'll have to talk with Master Eon first, but I think we can make this work."

Drobot gave a spirited cheer, forcing Gill Grunt to roll his eyes with a groan. Spyro gave him an irritated look and asked quietly, "Why are you so against this? I thought you wanted to do something that wasn't boring."

"Yeah," Gill responded hotly, "not watching the FNG."

"FNG?" Spyro repeated with a quizzical expression.

"Freakin' new guy," the Gillman explained with a hint of annoyance, "Anyway, why do you want to help him? He doesn't exactly seem Skylander material.

"If I remember correctly," Spyro replied with a smirk, "you acted the very same way."

Gill Grunt looked down to the ground, grumbling to himself, as the three strolled toward the tower. Not really expecting an answer back, Spyro turned to Drobot, who was walking beside him, and couldn't help but regard Drobot's cybernetic pieces.

"So where did you get the neat wings and such?" Spyro asked bluntly, making the Gillman look up with a hint of interest as well. Drobot gave a small chuckle, shaking his head to clear his thoughts before replying.

"I made it myself actually," he confined to the two, "I've always had an interest with gizmos and machines. I spent the better part of my life studying them. Then one day, while I was flying, a large gust sent me to an island with a load of the stuff. I was in paradise, well for you it might not be, but still, it was great. With the materials, I was able to create this robotic flying suit."

Gill Grunt seemed to have tuned him out at some point, as he just ignored the robotic dragon's words. Spyro, on the other hand, was even more fascinated. The implications of such a genius could help the Skylanders immensely.

"So why did you seek us out?" Spyro asked as they entered Eon Tower. The usual double doors closed behind them as they made their way to the stairs.

"Well, besides being a huge fan, I felt that my island home was growing a bit too small. After all, my new suit could help people in need. There's no reason to just keep it for looks."

Spyro gave a genuine smile at these words. What Drobot said stood for what the Skylanders were meant to do. If Drobot isn't a good candidate to be a Skylander, then no one is. The group had finally made it to Eon's office, as Gill Grunt knocked politely on the wooden door.

"Enter," Eon's voice called from within the room, and the Gillman turned the handle to do so. The room had not changed since Spyro had last been here, with the desk and telescope standing in their respective places, and the red domed walls and ceiling were ever present.

"Spyro, Gill Grunt," Eon announced with a happy voice, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Then his eyes fell upon Drobot, who was staring, mouth agape, at Eon. Apparently, he hasn't seen the Portal Master before, and being the fan that he was, the robotic dragon was dumbstruck. Eon only regarded Drobot with a raised brow, before setting his gaze on Spyro, his features asking for an explanation.

"Master Eon," Spyro began, "Drobot here wants to become a Skylander. He's very smart, and has the heart to help those who need it."

Master Eon said nothing as he once again looked over to Drobot, tilting his head slightly in thought. The robotic dragon realized that the Portal Master was studying him, and closed his mouth hastily. He had to make a good impression if he wants to be a Skylander.

After a minute of examining the robotic dragon, Eon stood up and walked around his desk to stand in front of the trio. Drobot could only hold his breath, hoping he didn't do something he'll regret.

"He does have useful attributes," Eon admitted, stroking his beard, "But he needs to be skillful in combat as well. We must test him before I can make a judgement."

Though the announcement did make Drobot fear about becoming a Skylander, it also brought a wave of hope as well. If he can prove that he is worthy of becoming a great hero, then he'll be set.

"You guys have fun with that," Gill Grunt commented making his way out the door, "I have better things to do then test the newbie."

"Like what?" Spyro asked with a chuckle. There was no response for a few seconds until the Gillman shouted, "Something!" before bolting out the door. The purple dragon laughed, as did Eon, but Drobot felt a bit sad at being called the 'newbie'. Spyro noticed his sadness, and rested a reassuring paw on his shoulder, surprising Drobot as he looked at him in wonder.

"Don't worry," Spyro said with a small smile, "you'll do fine."

Drobot swallowed nervously, and nodded, trusting the purple dragon's support. The robotic dragon turned back to Eon, ready for his test. Eon made to speak, but he stopped himself almost instantly, as his face began to darken. Drobot got more anxious at seeing this, but Spyro knew that it didn't involve Drobot in any way.

"What is it, Master Eon?" Spyro asked worriedly, already knowing what to expect.

"Shade Alarm," the Portal Master informed, causing Drobot to become confused.

"What's that?" the robotic dragon asked.

"It's when I sense an evil on another island," Eon explained, as he gripped his staff fondly. "I send the Skylanders to investigate and deal with the problem."

An idea flashed in Eon's mind as he gave a grin, "I have an idea. Spyro, take Drobot with you to this danger. Watch him, and protect him if necessary. Hopefully it won't come to that, but you still need to inspect him while doing so.

Spyro nodded, knowing he can accomplish this task. Drobot, however, was panicking slightly. "Wait what!?" he exclaimed, "I don't have a lot of training, what if I fail? What if-"

Spyro shook the robotic dragon out of his rambling, and gave him a stern glare, "You can do anything you set your mind to. And if anything goes bad, I can help you, that's what friends do."

Drobot was shocked, completely stunned from what he heard, "You... consider me a friend?"

"I don't see why not," Spyro replied with a smirk, "Now come on, I need a third for the team."

Drobot gave a quick nod, and followed the purple dragon out of the office. Eon remained where he stood, thinking about the new recruit, before also leaving the room to the Portal of Power.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

While Drobot waited at the Portal of Power with Eon, Spyro went out to find the last member to join them on this quest. There really was only one choice: Flameslinger. Also, there was only one reason to that: he hasn't been on a mission yet.

As the purple dragon crossed the bridge to the Training Grounds, he could clearly see Flameslinger taking out targets left and right as they popped up from cover, never wavering from the exercise.

In the stands, Bash and Stealth Elf watched the display with uninterested expressions. Spyro smiled despite himself, and walked over to them.

"What's Flameslinger doing?" he asked the two as he took a seat next to them to watch for a while.

"I told him enthusiastic people practice without a break," Stealth Elf explained without her eyes leaving the male Elf. Bash gave a half nod to confirm this, and added, "I made a bet that he couldn't hold it for two hours. It's an hour and 51 minutes now."

Spyro gave a frown and told the two about Drobot and the test he has to go through. Also the fact that he needed Flameslinger was brought up, and Stealth Elf practically pleaded with Spyro to wait a few more minutes. The purple dragon denied it, and she paid her gold to Bash, who was smiling like an idiot.

"Hey, Flameslinger," Spyro called out, gaining the attention of the male Elf, who grunted to show he was listening. "We've got a mission, let's go."

"Does that mean I can stop?" he questioned, while he continued taking out targets.

"Yeah."

"Oh thank goodness!" he yelled as he fell to the ground in exhaustion. The purple dragon strolled over to his prone form, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You know, a Skylander knows his limits, and you obviously passed that a long time ago."

"Last time I try to do something I'll regret later," Flameslinger mumbled to himself, as he stood back up carefully. Spyro gestured for him to follow and the two quickly went back to the tower.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Trading Post Island may seem like a simple and stupid name, but it was the only trading post that was surrounded by other major islands, so the name stuck. One of these islands was the Ruins, but it was many miles away from where they were.

The island held only a few buildings, and the edge was completely surrounded by a wooden deck. This held multiple ships that were docked, whether for repairs, resting, or trading. The whole island was dominated by a large building in the direct center, called 'The Tired Ship'. It was an inn for tired travelers, but no one knew why they gave it a strange name. This is where the group was sent.

As they flashed into existence, they took a moment to scan their environment, admiring the setting immensely. No one spoke as they did this, until Drobot remembered that he was being tested, and his uneasiness returned.

"So do we just search for this evil presence?" he asked with a hoarse voice.

"Yeah, usually," Spyro answered, turning to face him, "It usually happens pretty quickly. Just be on your guard, and prepare for anything."

Drobot sighed and continued to watch intently for anything out of the ordinary. The Skylanders only seemed to drift around the area, searching for whatever evil that would spring up. However, Nothing turned up, and the robotic dragon's worries grew with each passing minute.

A tad tired from their nearly useless hunt, they took a rest near the inn's entrance. While Spyro and Drobot took a seat on the floor, Flameslinger remained standing, not because he wanted to, but that there was simply no chairs.

"Now what?" Drobot asked quietly, his gaze drifting between the two Skylanders. Spyro could only stare at the robotic dragon, not wanting to lose hope for his new friend. Flameslinger, of course, just ran his mouth like he usually does.

"Stop your moping, I'm sure something will come up," Then putting a finger to his chin in thought, he mused, "Maybe if I jinx it, the evil will come faster."

Spyro rolled his eyes; Though he wanted Drobot to pass the test, he highly doubted that a superstition like that would work. Never the less, Flameslinger dramatically cleared his throat, took a big gasp of air, and said, "What's the worst that could happen?"

The three waited, half expecting something to occur, but when nothing proceeded, Flameslinger let out a groan. "Man, that usually works in the stories," he whined.

"Well, what do we have here?" said a voice in front of them. Facing that direction, they could see a Mabu, sporting a flight jacket and scarf, complete with a pilot's hat. "If my eyes deceive me you're Skylanders. That's pretty cool... But not as cool as me, BOOM!"

"Uh, who are you?" Flameslinger asked questionably, pointing a finger at him.

"Flynn the balloonist, greatest pilot in all of Skylands," the Mabu boasted, "I'm sure you've heard of me somewhere, perhaps when I did something awesome."

"Like what?" Flameslinger questioned in an accusing tone, crossing his arms irritably.

"Like Everything, BOOM!" he responded, placing fists on his hips in a heroic pose. Spyro rolled his eyes; He seemed overconfident, but at the same time capable. Perhaps he could help the Skylanders in their endeavor.

"Have you seen anything suspicious lately?" the purple dragon asked, "Anything out of the ordinary?"

Flynn rubbed his chin, "Well, if anything weird happened, I would know." A dark airship began to approach the island behind him, "I mean nothing gets past me." It drew closer and closer until it was at one of the landing points on the dock. "So I would have to say no to that."

The Skylanders were staring wide eyed at the airship, which Flynn was becoming confused at what they were looking at. He turned around and simply stared at it, conveying no emotion. After a few seconds, he turned back around to face the group, and said, "I think I found something."

The trio didn't comment as they ran past him to intercept the ship. It had finally landed and Cyclopses were filing out, grabbing anything that they could carry. It would make sense in some cases, like a crate or barrel, but then it would be downright bizarre, like kitchen sinks and anvils.

While the three were heading over to the enemies, Spyro relayed the plan he had quickly came up with. "It seems like their looting anything they can grab," he noted, "Flameslinger, get to the top of the inn and shoot them from above, don't let them escape."

"Aye, aye!" the male Elf exclaimed and veered off course toward the inn. Turning to face Drobot, Spyro exclaimed, "Drobot, what weapons do you have?"

"Lasers and mechanical, sharp disks," he rapidly stated.

"Well, time to put it to the test, let's split up and cover more ground."

"R- Right," the robotic dragon stammered, nervous at the prospect of fighting alone. When they got to a certain point, they both went in different directions, each taking a group of Cyclopses.

Spyro charged through the enemies, horns contacting with many individuals who flew away from the force. Stopping once in the center, he breathed deeply and let loose his fire, burning any nearby Cyclopses. By this time, some of them had began to strike with battle axes, but Spyro easily dodged them, side stepping them or jumping back. This left the Cyclopses vulnerable for a moment, which Spyro took, breathing fire on them, before repeating the process.

As the purple dragon fought, he couldn't help but feel like it was too easy. It was at this moment that a loud disgruntled roar resonated from the Cyclops airship. A large beast jumped from the ship and landed a couple of feet away from Spyro, accidentally crushing a few Cyclopses.

The monster was a Cyclops as well, but it's blue-covered body was built like a gorilla, with large arms. Horns came out of the sides of it's head, and two sharp teeth were attached to its jaw. It was a hideous Cyclops Mammoth, but Spyro barely had time to examine the thing before it leapt at him, determined to squish the purple dragon.

Luckily, Spyro jumped back to avoid that fate, and shot it with more fire. Though it was clearly injured, the monster ignored the pain, and swung its large arm at Spyro, and unfortunately it connected with his body, sending him hurling at a crate, which he smashed to pieces.

Groaning, Spyro slowly stood back up, and gasped in pain from his side. Looking over, a piece of wood had lodged into his side; He could hardly move with it. The purple dragon faced the Mammoth again, and ground his teeth when he saw the beast charging him. Then the unexpected came; An arrow shot out and hit the monster in the eye, catching the Cyclops Mammoth on fire. It roared in great pain, and missed its target, instead tumbling off the island itself.

Spyro breathed a sigh of relief, and looked up from where he stood, seeing Flameslinger on the inn. The Elf gave him a thumbs up, before pointing over to Drobot's position. Taking the hint, Spyro limped over there, trying to forget that a piece of wood was still attached to him.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

As Drobot rapidly approached the group of Cyclopses, he could see that he was in for a fight. Though he was scared, he knew this is what Skylanders do for a living. The robotic dragon had to do this, not for himself, but for anybody he could save.

Taking a deep breath, Drobot quickened his pace. The Cyclops saw him coming, and began forming a line to stop him in his tracks. The robotic dragon smiled inwardly, and he released his bladegears that were housed in his wings. The bladegears span through the air, taking out and ricocheting from a bunch of Cyclopses.

Seeing his opening, Drobot rushed into the center of the group while they were fazed with the bladegears, and let loose with laser blasts from his eyes and wings. The enemies were defeated quickly, and with a satisfied nod, the robotic dragon searched the area for any more.

A feminine yell of surprise came from behind him, and Drobot whipped around. The scene was a tense one; A female Golding was surrounded by Cyclopses, and she was at the edge of the island. In her hands was a silver wrench, which she held close to her body, protecting it from the looters.

"Get back!" she shouted at them, trying to back away as far as possible. "Do you have any idea who I am you one-eyed freaks? I'm Sprocket, and if you know better, then you'd back away."

"Lady," said one of the Cyclopses irritably, "Just give us that shiny thing and you can leave."

"Over my dead body!" She exclaimed, clutching it even harder.

"Hey!" Drobot screamed, with a hint of rage, "Get away from her!"

The Cyclopses jumped from the noise, lost balance, and unintentionally pushed the Golding over the edge. In complete shock, Drobot hesitated and watched her leave his line of sight, and the Cyclopses looked over the lip, watching her decent. She was screaming, for her life was about to end. Something in Drobot suddenly clicked, everything was in slow motion, and he could only hear his own heart beat and breathing.

Snapping out of his trance, Drobot broke into a sprint, shoving the Cyclopses out of the way, and dived right after her. With the wind rushing by him, the only sound he could hear was Sprocket's screaming. He activated his thrusters that were attached to his wings, giving him an extra boost to catch up. This helped greatly as he sped toward the Golding's falling form.

Sprocket was facing the cloud cover below, and didn't see Drobot coming towards her. When he was close enough to her, the robotic dragon wrapped his paws around her waist. She gave a yelp of surprise, and swiveled her head to see her rescuer, and though she was falling to her death, she couldn't help but be fascinated by the dragons suit.

Using his afterburners, Drobot pulled up, putting everything he could to lift each other upwards. Though his wings were custom made to not to wear out, this was a special circumstance, in which there was extra load. Just when his wings were about to give out, Drobot put Sprocket down on the island and landed beside her, right where the Golding had fallen in the first place.

Panting from the close call, they both rested for a second. After a couple of seconds, Sprocket flung herself onto Drobot, hugging him tightly. Caught off guard, Drobot stiffened, not sure what to do.

"Thank you," she whispered into his ear, making the robotic dragon feel even more awkward. At last, she pulled away and Sprocket looked straight into his eyes, "Now tell me about that suit of yours."

Jerking his head back in mild surprise, he gave a small chuckle, and told her about his hand-crafted machinery. She listened intently, not missing a beat. At the end of his mini seminar, he concluded what he was training for.

"So that's why I'm here," he finished, "what's that you're holding?"

He had pointed to the silver wrench that Sprocket still held tightly in her hands. She smiled and replied, "My uncle sent me out to retrieve this, it's a genuine T-51b uni-wrench. Extremely rare."

Drobot stared open mouthed at it, "Oh my gosh, that means your working on an electric source compulser."

"Yep," she responded with a nod, "the very same."

"Your uncle must be really good at what he does."

She stared at the wrench with fondness, "Yes... he is."

"Drobot!" shouted Spyro, who made his way over stopping in front of the two, "You alright?"

"No worries, Spyro," the robotic dragon waved off, "I was just-"

"He saved my life," Sprocket suddenly put in.

Spyro gave a hint of surprise but was instantly replaced with a grin. "I had no doubt in my mind," Spyro stated calmly.

Drobot scratched the back of his head sheepishly; He didn't think it was much. Then again, saving anybody's life is a good thing. Sprocket was lucky he was around at the time.

Flameslinger approached from behind Spyro, and he gave a low whistle. "I see Drobot is scoring with the ladies already," he said slyly, causing Drobot and Sprocket to look away from each other, faces slightly red.

Spyro rolled his eyes, and ordered, "Come on, guys, time to head home."

"What happened to the Cyclopses?" Drobot questioned.

"They took off, stealing what appeared to be only metal objects, but we don't have the power right now to chase them."

Drobot felt bad now, thinking he had failed in some way. However, Spyro smirked, and reassured him by saying, "It doesn't matter if they got away, well kind of, but what does matter is saving _lives_."

Drobot smiled, looking over to Sprocket who was mirroring his movements. Then the robotic dragon's smile faltered as a realization hit, "I guess I have to go now."

The Golding understood as well, and she hugged Drobot again around the neck. Faltering for only a second, Drobot hugged back. Flameslinger attempted to hide his laughter, but a few snickers slipped out anyway. Giving a grunt of disapproval, Spyro slapped the back of his head, which the Elf rubbed tenderly afterwords.

Once they broke apart, Drobot and Sprocket said goodbye and the robotic dragon stood beside Spyro and Flameslinger. "Who knows," the purple dragon shrugged, "Maybe you'll see each other again."

At these words, Drobot couldn't help but smile over to Sprocket and give one final wave before disappearing in a white wisp of smoke. As the Golding watched him leave, she could only think about his smarts; She had never met a dragon as brilliant as him before.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Sitting on a dragon mount, flying in place with a set of binoculars, far away from the island, was Wilson, leader of the Overeyes. After seeing the events unfold from afar, he gave a sigh and thought, 'He's not going to like this one bit.' Then he flew his dragon out of the area and out of sight.

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**So someone in the reviews said that I had free reins over how the characters and back stories go since those are loose in the main games, and since not many people have played the previous Spyro games. It got me thinking: How many people have actually played the last games. I remember the original Spyro games; Those were fun. Then the interlude of less popular games. Then, right before this one, The Legend of Spyro games. So tell me, have any of you played these games before Skylanders? Or is this your first one? Thanks again for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12: Slice and Dice

**So I was scrolling through the Skylanders stories here in FanFiction, and I couldn't help but notice that this story is the highest favorited _and_ followed. You guys are awesome, and I hope I can keep you entertained with this story for a long time to come!**

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 12: Slice and Dice**

On an unknown island, quite far away from the Ruins, there was a famous juice bar called 'Frankie's Juice'. Many Mabu from all over came here to try the drinks and food. Today, in this bar, business was slow. Many Mabu were keeping to themselves, talking quietly or otherwise. Outside, it was night time, with heavy rainfall to squander anyone's plans for the day.

In the far corner sat a skeleton, wearing strange sparse blue armor with gold highlights. His helmet held 4 yellow-glowing lights: Two where the eyes should be, one on the mouth, and the last on his forehead. This unique figure was sitting upon a chair, leaning it against the wall, staring straight ahead with arms crossed. A wickedly curved blade rested next to him against the wall, as well as a round metal shield.

Sitting around in a juice bar was normal for him; it was how he got jobs. Being a mercenary means that you have to find your own work, but if your reputation is high enough, then work finds you. A blue dragon with a yellow underbelly, horns, and wing membranes walked up to this skeletal mercenary with purpose. He stopped to the side of him, but the skeleton did not acknowledge that he was there.

"Are you Chop Chop?" the blue dragon whispered, while looking over his shoulder cautiously.

The skeleton known as Chop Chop gave a single curt nod, still not facing the dragon. The dragon continued none the less, "I have a job for you, if you're interested."

This time Chop Chop swiveled his head over to the dragon, regarding him intently. "I always know my employer's name before I do anything," he stated harshly.

The blue dragon rolled his eyes with a sigh, "Alright, fine. I'm Opex, and the job is an assassination. Do you think you can do that?"

Chop Chop turned his head to face forward again, slightly annoyed. "It sounds like you doubt my skills," he replied coldly.

"On the contrary," Opex retorted with a smirk, "I think you're the only person for the job."

The skeleton remained silent, thinking over the compliment with an inward chuckle. "I'm listening," he says, angling his head ever so slightly at the dragon.

"Excellent," Opex commented darkly, "Now, your target is-"

"Hold on," Chop Chop interrupted, putting his chair back on all fours again while leaning his hands against his lap coolly, "I have a few... guidelines I stick to."

Opex made to speak, but stopped himself, and instead stayed quiet to hear his rules. "First," Chop Chop began, "I only kill those who deserve it, no innocents. Second, I always reveal myself before I kill anyone, something to consider. And finally," He looked straight into Opex's eyes, "I always need a reason to why I should work for my employer."

Opex thought about the guidelines presented to him, putting a claw to his chin. After a minutes thinking, the dragon lowered his paw and gave a smile. "You want a reason? Here's your reason. The person I want you to assassinate has made great damage to the community. Not only that but he has also harassed, injured, and even killed a lot of the populace. If that's not a good enough reason, I don't know what is."

Chop Chop stared forward yet again, mulling over the recent details. "Alright, I accept the job offer," the skeleton agreed, "I shall begin immediately. Who is my target?"

Opex gave an evil grin while giving a slight dark chuckle, before answering. "Your target... is Spyro the purple dragon."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Are you sure this will work?" asked a hesitant Bash, who was standing on top of a cliff. Strapped to his back was a strange metallic device that resembled wings.

"Of course I'm sure!" Drobot assured, while standing beside Bash, peering over the edge. "Or at least," he mumbled to himself, "I think I do."

"What was that?" Bash asked nervously.

"Oh, nothing," the robotic dragon waved off.

Standing behind the two was Spyro and Whirlwind, failing to hide their snickers at the situation. "I'm sure you won't crash and burn, Bash," Spyro chuckled.

"Yeah," Whirlwind agreed, "I mean, it's not like you have unpredictable tech tied to your back."

"Well," Drobot said facing the two, "it technically is unpredictable tech tied to his back."

Bash gave a grunt of surprise at this; He thought his was tested, but apparently he _was_ the test subject. He took a couple small steps back from the cliff edge, but Drobot saw this and pushed from behind him.

"Don't back out of this now, my friend!" the robotic dragon encouraged with a happy attitude. "After all, didn't you say you always wanted to fly?"

Bash sighed, though that statement was true, he expected to have a nice _safe_ flight. However, this seemed to not be the case. Still, this could be his chance to fly. So, nervously, Bash inched his way to the ledge again. He looked down below, and now noticed how high up he was.

Before he could say a word, Drobot shoved him over the edge while shouting, "Off you go!"

Surprisingly, Bash did fly for a few seconds, which actually made him smile a little. However, a loud clunk could be heard from the machine on his back, and the next thing he knew he was falling.

"Oh," Drobot chimed suddenly, "I may have forgotten a part."

Spyro and Whirlwind watched as Bash fell to the ground below, and winced when they heard a muffled smash. When the dust cleared, Bash had his head stuck in the ground as he tried helplessly to push himself out.

"Note to self," Drobot said to himself while flying to Bash's aid, "Test gadgets thoroughly before use."

Spyro could only shake his head with a small smile at Drobot's random snip-bits. The robotic dragon seemed to be fitting in quite well, and it made the purple dragon feel good inside. To his side he could see Whirlwind giggling at their antics. Spyro didn't know why, but he was suddenly thinking of how she was a good friend. Come to think of it, everyone has been a great friend, and he now just realized this.

They looked up to him, like a leader, and expect him to know what to do in many circumstances. However, Spyro barely had any experience as a team leader. It just sort of... came to him. Still, it was nice to be regarded as someone trustworthy.

"Hey, you alright?" Whirlwind questioned, seeing Spyro's contemplating face. The purple dragon jerked his head from being brought back to the present and shook his head. He then looked over to see her worried expression; she truly was a good friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he told Whirlwind with a smile. She smiled back, and they stared at each other. Whirlwind finally realized this and looked away with a hint of red. Spyro raised an eyebrow at her shyness, and was about to walk over to her to see what was wrong.

"Uh, Spyro?" Drobot called from below, "You got mail."

The purple dragon turned to the edge and looked down below to see Drobot and, surprisingly, Cynder with a letter in her paw; Bash was still stuck and struggling. Spyro wondered why she would want to give him his mail, but didn't dwell on if for long as he quickly glided to Drobot's position, Whirlwind not far behind.

When the purple dragon landed, Cynder walked up to him and placed the letter in his paw. Spyro gave a sly grin, "Didn't peak, did you?"

Cynder was startled by this, as she stammered nervously, "N-No! Of course not! I-I would never-"

"It's alright," Spyro cut off with a genuine smile, "I was just kidding."

Cynder gave him a quizzical look, but exhaled deeply in relief anyway. Spyro recalled that she was still new to the whole friendship scenario, and scolded himself to remember next time. The purple dragon gazed at the letter given to him. It held no return address, just his name and where he lives. Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, he opened the envelope and took out the piece of paper within.

The paper only held five words: _Meet me at Shallow Graveyard_. He flipped it to the other side, but found no other writing. Whirlwind, who read over his shoulder, was confused as well. "Wait, that's it?" she asked with a stunned expression.

"That's it," Spyro confirmed with a nod.

The purple dragon explained to the group about what the letter says, and how ominous it feels over all. Drobot, while silent the whole time since he was busy tugging on Bash's tail, finally speaks up. "It sounds like a trap to me," he commented with another pull.

"Yeah," Cynder agreed, "why else would he want you to come and not reveal who he is?"

The purple dragon thought for a second, and replied slowly, "Someone who is being followed or monitored."

"Still," Whirlwind intervened, "it could be dangerous, who knows what could happen, even if it's someone in trouble."

"I don't know why we're having this conversation," Drobot said bluntly before speaking to Spyro, "You're going none the less, aren't you?"

Spyro gave a small chuckle, "You know me so well."

"Well in that case, I-I'm coming with you," Whirlwind said boldly, earning an appreciative nod from the purple dragon. He then looked over to Cynder and Drobot, and the robotic dragon quickly raised his paws.

"Whoa, sorry buddy," he apologized, "but I still need to get Bash out of the ground." A few grunts of approval could be heard from the brown dragon.

Understanding his situation, he gave his attention to Cynder, who was stunned by this. "You want to take... me?" she asked with uncertainty.

"Of course," Spyro responded with slight bewilderment, "Why are you always surprised when I do?"

"Well..." she trailed off tensely, facing the ground, "I just thought that since I was evil once that-"

"Stop," Spyro interrupted sternly, causing Cynder to give him a wondrous look, "I know where you're going with that sentence, and I've told you before. I don't care what other people think, and if they become a problem, I'll deal with it. You can't just stay here in the Ruins. You're a Skylander after all."

The black dragoness was silent after Spyro's speech, not completely believing that the purple dragon was taking such risks. After a few seconds, she gave a warm smile, and walked in front of him. "Thanks," she whispered bashfully, and Spyro simply smirked at the gratitude.

"Alright, let's head off," he expressed, and the trio took flight towards the Ruins, which wasn't to far off from their place. Drobot observed their leave, wondering what could possibly await his friends.

A few faint angry grunts from Bash brought his mind back to his current predicament, "Now to find a way for you out, my friend."

He examined the length of Bash and how deep his head was under, and gave a tired sigh. 'This could be a while,' he thought to himself.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Shallow Graveyard had its name for a reason; it was a small island, only 20 yards in width and length, and was positively covered in gravestones of all kinds. This is where the Skylanders appeared from their teleportation. Though Master Eon was reluctant to send the trio to this place, especially since he felt no evil intentions here, he let them go anyway, wanting them to figure out the mysterious sender as well.

When they appeared, the group immediately began searching the small area from which they appeared, intent on finding whoever sent the letter. They only looked for a minute when a voice instantly caught they're attention.

"I guess I should have predicted that you would bring company," the voice said monotonically, making everyone whirl their heads at the origin.

On a large square tomb sat a skeleton, clad in strange armor. He was seated with his left leg hanging ideal over the edge, and the other was resting in front of him. His right elbow rested on the leg in front of him, while the other arm was leaning against the smooth stone. His gaze was downcast as he spoke to the group, probably staring at the strange curvy sword that had its blade sunk into the ground.

"Who are you?" Spyro instantly asked, becoming cautious.

Without so much as moving, the figure replied, "Chop Chop."

"Chop Chop?" Whirlwind repeated with perplexity, "Where did you get a name like that?"

Chop Chop did not respond to the question, instead giving a quick chuckle. "Probably based on how I deal with my jobs," he remarked darkly.

"You're a mercenary, aren't you?" Cynder assumed, getting into a combat stance.

"Very observant," the skeleton replied, almost emotionless, "Yes, I was hired to kill Spyro the purple dragon."

Spyro grew serious at this, "Who hired you? Who wants me dead?"

"Sorry," Chop Chop faked regret, finally looked up at the purple dragon, "but I don't reveal my employers to my target."

"You are not assassinating him," Cynder declared, standing protectively in front of Spyro, who was shocked from the defense. The black dragoness didn't know why, but she had strange feelings towards the purple dragon. And the way Chop Chop regarded him made her angry.

"I agree, you won't be touching a scale on him," Whirlwind also stated, following Cynder's example, earning another surprised expression from Spyro. For her reasons, it was pretty obvious. She still loved the purple dragon, though it was fading a bit, she still did not want to see Spyro hurt, or worse.

Spyro didn't know what to think; His friends were standing up for him against an unknown foe. Though it was slightly embarrassing to be protected by two girls, the purple dragon was proud to call them his friends. With this thought fresh in his mind, he knew what he had to do.

"You just want me and me alone," Spyro announced, forcing Cynder and Whirlwind to swivel their heads towards him, stunned. Chop Chop gave a nod to the dragon's words.

"I am honor-bound," he revealed, "and I always stick to my main objective... and my promises."

"Fine, promise me that if I lose, that you'll leave my friends alone," Spyro demanded, glaring at the skeleton defiantly.

"Very well," Chop Chop accepted, "I shall not cause harm to your companions in any way, shape, or form as long as they do not get in my way."

Spyro accepted the terms with a nod, and jumped to his combat pose. Chop Chop pushed himself off from his seat, grabbed his sword, and picked up a round metallic shield that was leaning beside a tombstone.

"Spyro, wait," Whirlwind pleaded, "We can help you."

"Yes, she is correct," Cynder also attempted, "Just let us assist you against this skeleton."

Spyro faced both of them, and shook his head, "If I'm able to avert you guys getting hurt, I'll take it."

The two dragoness wanted to argue, but knew that it would be pointless, so stayed quiet. To Chop Chop, he was slightly intrigued by Spyro's behavior Opex had not mentioned that he was protective, but shrugged it off, concentrating on his goal.

Spyro strolled past the two dragoness', while Chop Chop waited patiently for his target to be ready. Once they were prepared, they gave a stare off with each other, daring the other to attack first. In the end, they both charged each other.

Chop Chop swung his sword down in hopes of slicing Spyro down the middle, but the dragon slide to his left. Spyro let loose a breath of fire, and Chop Chop simply intercepted it with his shield protecting him. The skeleton attempted a horizontal swing, but Spyro jumped away before it connected.

Seeing his chance, Chop Chop sunk his sword in the ground rapidly, and released a series of bones jutting from the ground, heading straight for the purple dragon. Seeing the bones coming his way, Spyro took flight and simply flew over them to avoid them. He then soared above the skeleton and tried to ground pound him. However, Chop Chop absorbed the shock from the attack with his shield and shield bashed Spyro with it, transferring the attack back at Spyro.

This sent the purple dragon tumbling backwards, but he caught himself quickly, and ran back into the fight. While they were battling, Cynder and Whirlwind could do nothing but watch with horrified and worried expressions. Their friend was fighting alone just so they wouldn't get hurt. Though it was chivalrous, they can barely stand to watch Spyro fight by himself.

They knew that if they interfered, Spyro would be mad, especially if they got themselves injured in the process. However, they couldn't just let the purple dragon get himself killed to protect them. It was a definite conundrum, and they had to think fast.

With the clash that was still going on, Spyro and Chop Chop were still on equal ground. Though the purple dragon was taking more hits than his opponent, the skeleton was becoming tired, not used to the extensive time to take down an enemy.

At this point, Chop Chop is swinging his sword in multiple directions, but Spyro is avoiding each attack, though the blade is extremely close each time. Eventually, Chop Chop finds an opening and takes a chance, swinging for Spyro's right fore leg. It goes through like butter, cutting it deeply, and Spyro gasps in pain. With the distraction, the skeleton shield bashs Spyro, dazing him further, and is about to stab straight through his head.

The two other Skylanders had enough. They both surged forward and, using their breath attacks, sent Chop Chop backing away from Spyro. Their combined attacks had left him disoriented, but that didn't stop him from being completely bewildered by their act. He didn't think that these two females would stop him from delivering the killing blow, in fact, he expected them to flee half way through the fight.

He looked between the two Skylanders, who were now advancing menacingly. "Why are you-" he began but stopped himself. It was faint, and he was lucky to see it, but for a split second, he saw a glint of passion in their eyes. It wasn't one of revenge, nor hatred, but the feeling that was much deeper, one that left anyone completely baffled.

"I see now," Chop Chop whispered more to himself than the two opposers, "You two have something special with this purple dragon."

"Of course!" Whirlwind shouted, "He's our friend, and friends help each other."

Chop Chop remained quiet; the more he learned about his target and his followers, the more he felt that something wasn't right. "It's more than that," he said quietly, "You two have a very special... bond with him."

The two dragoness' stopped in their tracks, looking at each other in confusion. Chop Chop chuckled, "So you don't even know, that's humorous."

"Quit playing with us," Cynder snapped at the skeleton, narrowing her eyes severely.

"On the contrary," Chop Chop replied, clutching his sword tightly, "I'm doing just the opposite."

At that moment, the skeleton jumped forward, smashing his shield against Whirlwind then rounding on Cynder. Whirlwind was more than just stunned, she was nearly unconscious. Her whole world was spinning, and she fell on her stomach to stop it from doing so. She looked over to Cynder, but saw her in the same condition as herself, with Chop Chop standing over her.

With the element of surprise, the skeleton was able to incapacitate the two females, not to the point of unconsciousness, but just bordering it. Gripping his sword, Chop Chop spun it in his head until it was gripped the other way and raised it over his head.

"My apologies, miss," Chop Chop commented with a sigh, "but you're an obstacle in my way, and I don't like that."

He swung downward and hit flesh, but the wrong person then what he was aiming for. Spyro, already weary and beaten from his previous fight, found the strength to stand in front of the blow before it hit Cynder. It was inserted into his side, puncturing a lung.

Chop Chop was completely aghast, this action was not something a villain would do, but just the opposite. The skeleton had formed a conclusion in his head in the seconds that followed: Spyro was not a destructive or murderous dragon as he was informed. Opex had tricked him to kill this innocent dragon for his own evil purposes, and that thought alone made Chop Chop furious.

What sealed the deal, however, was when Spyro spoke. His voice was rough and forced, but it was enough to get his point across. "You... won't... hurt them," he managed to get out.

The skeleton hastily pulled out the blade, and Spyro flopped to the ground beside Cynder who was staring at the scene with wide eyes, as was Whirlwind. The black dragoness looked to the wind Skylander and they both nodded at a silent agreement. With superb recovery, Cynder tackled Chop Chop to the ground and pinned his legs and arms with her own, growling at his visor.

Whirlwind, meanwhile, ran to Spyro's side and healed him with her powers. In no time at all, the purple dragon's wound was healed, and he could breathe easy again, though it still had a lingering sting now and then.

"Do what you will," Chop Chop instructed with no emotion, "I have betrayed what I stood for and I do not deserve to live."

"With pleasure," Cynder growled and her mouth began crackling with electricity.

"Wait, Cynder," Spyro wheezed out, his newly repaired lungs stinging. The black dragoness turned to him in mild shock, but stepped off of the skeleton. Chop Chop made no move to stand up, instead remained laying upon the dirt.

"Now you have shown me mercy," Chop Chop stated, "Just another nail in the coffin of my suspicions."

"What do you mean by that?" Spyro asked, walking over to the skeleton carefully.

"To answer that, I need to tell you a bit about my self," Chop Chop responded, sitting up while his weapons remained on the ground, "I am a mercenary. I collect gold from various jobs that employers hire me for. But it wasn't always like that."

Chop Chop looked off to the side and continued, "I used to be part of the elite guards for the Arkeyans centuries before. Back then, I didn't know what I was thinking, but after their fall by the Skylanders hand, I left and began my own life. Little did I know that I was immortal, thanks to the Arkeyans hybrid experiments. I was mixed with the elements of Undead and Tech. And so I roam, with no where to go, and no where to call home."

Spyro stared at the skeleton, and though the next question he was going to ask was not really relevant, he had to know. "What do you do with the gold if you're immortal?"

Chop Chop chuckled, "Of everything I just told you, you bring up that. But if you must know," he looked up at Spyro, "I give it to those who need it."

"Alright," Spyro said with an approving nod, "so who told you to assassinate me?"

"My employer," Chop Chop started, "said that you were a monster, a dragon with no mercy or care of the world. I always accept jobs that involve villainy, and never hurt innocents, so I took it without thinking."

Chop Chop stood up at last, never looking away from Spyro's gaze, "I was tricked by a dragon named Opex to hunt you down and kill you."

Spyro and Whirlwind jerked their heads back in surprise, and looked at one another. Cynder tilted her head with a perplexed expression. The skeleton, noticing their demeanour, looked between the two.

"I see you had a history with him, which would explain the hit," Chop Chop observed, crossing his arms.

"The last time I saw him," Spyro said with gritted teeth, "was when I saved his sorry tail from a giant robot."

"Mind control then," Chop Chop guessed, " or perhaps he has given in to darkness."

"We don't know anything right now," Whirlwind whispered with a hint of fear, "Just what you have told us."

Chop Chop nodded, "Understood. Now," he picked up his weapons, causing the other three to jump into a combat pose, "Relax, I have no ill will against you. Especially after the recent conclusion I have come to. My quarrel is with Opex."

Strapping the items to his back, the skeleton asked, "So, what do you guys do anyway?"

"We're Skylanders," Spyro stated.

"Well," Chop Chop said while rubbing his chin, "I suppose that explains the difficult fight then."

Spyro was silent, contemplating about what he was about to ask. "Do you want to be a Skylander?" he blurted out, earning shocked expressions from Cynder and Whirlwind.

If Chop Chop was surprised, he was hiding it very well, as he didn't even flinch from the gesture. Instead, the skeleton gave a hearty laugh that lasted for quite a while. When he stopped at last, Chop Chop gazed up at the sky in wonder.

"Elite warrior, to mercenary, to Skylander," Chop Chop mumbled, "Not just that, but I nearly killed a Skylander as well."

"I don't judge recruits by their abilities," Spyro retorted, "but by their choices and motives."

Chop Chop looked back down to Spyro's eyes. The skeleton could see fire in them, a fire that said that he was willing to do what was right, and keep people alive at the same time.

"Honorable," Chop Chop uttered, then he retrieved his sword, and sunk it in the ground, while at the same time kneeling like a knight would do. "You have my thanks for sparing me, but also my blade and shield to help you in any battle, whether it be dangerous or not."

Spyro was taken back by this, and fumbled with what to say to that. However, he remembered a few books he read that talked about knights and such, and figured out the correct terminology.

"You may rise," he ordered, "you are now Chop Chop the Skylander."

The skeleton did rose, and commented, "A Skylander, huh. Never in my life of several centuries did I think that I would become one. You have my gratitude, Spyro."

The purple dragon smiled and nodded, then introduced Cynder and Whirlwind to him. Though the two were hesitant at first, considering the recent events, they eventually trusted the new Skylander.

"I guess It's time to go," Spyro spoke to the group.

"Before we go, Spyro," Chop Chop intervened, "I request an audience with you. Alone."

Spyro raised a brow, but followed the skeleton to a secluded area of the graveyard. "So what is it?" asked Spyro.

"Do you have a relationship with either Cynder or Whirlwind?" Chop Chop started, facing away from the purple dragon.

"Of course," Spyro stated as if it were obvious, "They're my friends."

"I mean besides that," the skeleton said, looking over his shoulder, "Do you love either one of them?"

Spyro was dumbfounded from his words, and couldn't find a good response. Chop Chop dipped his head down slightly. "I see," he commented, "You don't know then."

"Know what?" Spyro asked nervously.

Chop Chop sighed, and turned around to face the purple dragon. "That they love you," he said bluntly.

"L-Love me?" Spyro stammered, not believing his ears.

"Yes, love you. I can see it in their eyes, the way they jump to your aid in your time of need. They love you, and if you haven't seen it until now, then perhaps you are not ready to move on."

Spyro could only look to the ground in realization; it made sense with Whirlwind, why she would blush occasionally when he was around, or why she was so protective of him. But Cynder did not show these signs, she did perk her head when he showed himself. It was all so confusing, and having no experience with romance did not help either.

"There's more," Chop Chop informed, making Spyro dread the response; it was already confusing enough as it was.

"Since they both love you, _you _must make a decision on who you love the most. In time, you must pick one or the other, leaving who was not chosen with a broken heart."

Spyro was terrified now, and didn't know what to think. Someone he had just met had learned more about his two friends then he did over the last few weeks. It was devastating to learn that he would heart break one of his friends, and that was if he even chose one.

"Something to think about," the skeleton explained, as he walked past the purple dragon to the other two waiting Skylanders.

'Have I always been so blind?' Spyro thought to himself, with tears demanding to fall from his eyes. 'Do I have to hurt one of them to love the other?'

He sighed heavily, 'plus, who do I even _love_ the most?'

Shaking his head in exhaustion, he stumbled back to his friends with head hung low, and before anybody could ask what was wrong, he whispered, "Take us home, Master Eon."

* * *

**So I was thinking about putting a preview of the next chapter at the end; Just to get you guys excited for it. Nothing to fancy; just the title of the chapter. But if you don't want it, let me know. Or if you want it, let me know. You know what, just do what you want, I can't control you.**


	13. Chapter 13: Full Scream Ahead

**Okay, here it is, finally. First, let's get this author's note out of the way. First, HadesNecromancer, get an account so we can converse freely. Actually, all guests should get one. I want to talk to _everybody_! Next, I feel as if someone is spamming the reviews with 'Spyro x Whirlwind', just a feeling! Lastly... well, that was the last bit really.**

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 13: Full Scream Ahead**

In the one of the darkest parts of Skylands rested a single island with a wicked tower on top of it. It probably would have been regarded as a work of fine architecture, if it were not for the ominous clouds that always loomed over it. It was a fairly simple tower, with circular walling and a cone-shaped roof.

In the highest room of this sinister tower, a wizard wearing a red cloak and wizard hat ran around in search of materials. He had a grey beard that fell to his chest, and no hair on his head whatsoever. As he scoured for what he looked for, he played back everything he would need, checking it off mental when he found one.

"Tooth of a Chompy," he whispered as he got the white pointed tooth, "Fairy dust," he grabbed a jar of the golden substance, "and finally, water!"

He grabbed a bottle of water off of a shelf and walked to the center, carrying all the objects he had collected. Placing each item in a small circle, he stepped back, shaking with excitement at what he was about to do.

"At last," the wizard exclaimed, rubbing his hands together evilly, "I, the great Wizard Ruber, shall weave the spell to summon an unspeakable entity to take over Skylands!"

Then he suddenly realized how cheesy he was behaving, and decided to just start the spell. The wizard weaved his hands around in a fancy manner, preparing to cast the spell. The objects began to glow red, and hovered slightly above the stone floor.

"Yes," Ruber shouted with eagerness, "It's working!"

When the spell seemed to be at its peak, fortunately for Skylands, a small explosion resonated suddenly from the center of the circle. It wasn't big enough to leave a pit of destroyed debris, but it was able to put a generous amount of soot on the wizard's body. The objects that were glowing with power, were now back on the stone floor, a few of which had broken open. Ruber stared at nothing in particular as his brain registered what happened.

Once he found out that the spell had backfired, he growled in frustration, and stomped over to a stand that held a book. The book's title was 'Spells 101', and Ruber put his finger on one of the pages, reading over the list of ingredients.

"Fur of a cat, check," Ruber mumbled to himself as he read, "Scale of a dragon, got that, tooth of a Chompy, fairy dust, water."

The wizard tugged on his beard in anger, as if he was about to yank it off. "I have everything!" he shouted to nothing, "What am I missing!?"

Examining the book again, Ruber recoiled when he saw a different material he must have missed. "What is this?" he asked in curiosity, "The feathers of a baby griffin? That's new."

The wizard stroked his beard, gazing out the window at the dark clouds. "I suppose I can use my Glass Globe of Seeing," he mused to himself. And with a shrug, Ruber walked over to a short marble stand that held a cloudy yet transparent sphere.

Putting both his hands on the globe, Ruber began whispering demands at the object, wanting it to find what he required. After a few seconds, the object was beginning to become clearer, and an image could be seen within. It was a Griffin, with black feathers and metal braces on her wrists and ankles. The wizard gave a devilish grin at the picture presented to him, and began chuckling as well.

"I guess it's time to go hunting," Ruber laughed.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

In the fields at the Ruins, Chop Chop sat with his legs crossed, putting his hands on his sword's handle in front of him while it was stuck in the ground. To a passerby, it may have been odd to see this skeleton like this. But to the Skylanders, they knew he was deep in meditation.

In the background, directly behind Chop Chop, Trigger Happy seemed to be sneaking around, walking on the tips of his toes while heading toward an unseen area. A second past, and an audible splat could be heard, and Trigg came barreling back behind Chop Chop heading from where he came. Hot on his tail was Bash, his head covered in pie.

After a minute, Trigger Happy came back behind Chop Chop, wiping nonexistent sweat from his forehead. He then took out a trumpet and began playing it. After only a few moments, Gill Grunt came charging after him, his hands covering his ears, prompting Trigg to stop playing and run away from him.

Spyro, who was walking by, noticed how Chop Chop was not effected by Trigger Happy's annoying quirks. Coming up beside Chop Chop, Spyro raised a brow, and asked, "Aren't you mad that Trigg is disrupting your meditation?"

Chop Chop gave a small sigh, and looked up to the purple dragon, not moving anything else. "Not as much as my teammates," he admitted, "In fact, I present it as a challenge; A way to force myself in concentration. If I'm easily distracted by a simple and... unusual creature, such as Trigger Happy, I would not be as calm as I am now."

Spyro gazed back over to the Gremlin, who was now rolling a boulder for reasons unknown. The purple dragon gave a small smile at a the sight. Trigg sure was random, but that was probably what Spyro liked about him. His sudden and sometimes funny whims gave the purple dragon reasons to believe that he does it for his friends.

Chuckling, Spyro faced Chop Chop again and saw that the skeleton had gone back to meditating. His persistence to be left alone, reminded the purple dragon of another friend of his. "You know, you're kind of like Stealth Elf in a way," he commented casually.

At the mention of the female Elf, Chop Chop's demeanor changed abruptly. He stood up quickly, retrieved his sword from the ground, and poked a finger in Spyro's chest. "I am nothing like her," he punctuated each word meaningfully.

Flabbergasted, the purple dragon fumbled with his words, not understanding why he was behaving like this. "Wha- Why- How come?" he stammered in confusion.

"I can't believe you even have to ask that," Chop Chop mumbled while placing his equipment on his back. Spyro felt ashamed of himself, even though he had no idea what the skeleton Skylander was talking about.

"Listen," Chop Chop said a bit harshly, "I hold honor very dearly to myself. Stealth Elf, however, is the opposite. She would kill someone before they even knew she was there. It is dishonorable, something that should not be practiced."

"Excuse me?" questioned a fierce female voice from behind Chop Chop, causing the skeleton to sigh irritably, slumping his shoulders.

"She's right behind me, isn't she?" he asked in a flat tone. And as Spyro silently nodded, Chop Chop groaned while slowly turning around. He saw the Elf he was just talking about, with a furious glare and hands on her hips.

"At least I would stay alive long enough to continue helping!" she exclaimed angrily, "While you would just die the moment someone cheap shots you!"

"It is better to be under a code," Chop Chop shot back, "then to have people think that you are untrustworthy."

"You build trust by giving it," Stealth Elf retorted, "not by obeying what people tell you to do!"

"That's not what being honorable is about," Chop Chop hissed, beginning to lose his calm.

"Neither is being sneaky," Stealth Elf replied.

At this point, they are both in each other faces, and they both seem to have the same idea at the same time. "Spyro!" they both yelled out, making the purple dragon jump from their outburst, "Which do you believe is truer?"

The purple dragon did not do well when put on the spot, especially with people who could kick his tail fairly easily. Darting his eyes around, he hoped someone could get him out of this. Unfortunately, no one was in sight but Trigger Happy, who somehow got trapped under the dirt, his ears poking straight up.

"I... Uh... suppose..." he stumbled on his words, trying to stall for whatever it was worth. Lucky for him, at this moment, the transparent head of Master Eon appeared in front of him, halting the argument for the time being.

"Spyro, you have a mission," the Portal Master told, keeping a stern yet wise expression.

The purple dragon gave a sigh of relief, thanking his good fortune. 'Saved by the bell,' he thought with a relaxed frame.

"What is it, Master Eon?" Spyro asked, trying hard not to give Chop Chop or Stealth Elf a sideways glance.

"I have received a request for help, in the Polaris Alps," he explained, "I want you and two others to see who needs assistance, and do what you can."

"Of course," the purple dragon assured with a nod, and Eon returned the gesture before disappearing altogether.

When the Portal Master was gone, Spyro could easily recall the island known as Polaris Alps from one of the books he has read. It is said that the mountain range was directly under the Polaris star, though others argue that it isn't. The name can also contribute to the fact that the polarity of the island is rather faulty. It wasn't as negative as one might think, since this meant that it presented beautiful Auroras on certain times of the year.

"So who are you bringing?" Chop Chop questioned, crossing his arms and snapping Spyro out of his recollection.

"You, I guess," Spyro indicated with a small shrug. The skeleton nodded in understanding, and allowed the purple dragon to think about the next companion to join them.

Spyro looked over to Stealth Elf and she instantly recoiled, putting her hands up in protest.

"No!" she said with certainty, "Sorry, Spyro, but I am _not_ going anywhere with him."

"So much for being trustworthy," Chop Chop whispered to himself, but the female Elf still heard it, and growled threateningly.

"Okay, okay," Spyro interrupted, hopefully stopping a huge brawl between the two Skylanders. "I'll find someone else who'll come."

While thinking of anyone that was available, Spyro looked over to look for Trigger Happy, but he seemed to have taken off somewhere. His gaze fell to the sky above, and he caught sight of Sunburn flying overhead.

"Hey, Sunburn!" the purple dragon called out, and the fire Skylander looked down with a concerning face. When he flew down and landed in front of the purple dragon, Sunburn got his answer before he could ask.

"We have a mission in the Polaris Alps," Spyro explained, "Want to come along?"

Sunburn looked over his shoulder, as if thinking the invitation over in his head. The hybrid faced Spyro again, with a smile. "Sure, why not?" he accepted, but in his head he was groaning inwardly.

'I hate the cold,' he commented to himself, while still keeping the upbeat attitude.

The three Skylanders began to make their way to Eon Tower, while Stealth Elf remained in the field, still ticked off with Chop Chop. She turned her eyes over to the training grounds with unmistakable purpose. She needed to get some aggression out.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Polaris Alps was as cold as ever, evident by the whistling wind, and slow falling snow. A flat platform on the side of the mountain was where the Skylanders appeared. In a flash of white, the magic that teleported them dissipated, and they instantly felt the cold air. Spyro, and especially Sunburn, began shivering uncontrollably.

Looking over to Chop Chop, however, the purple dragon could see that he wasn't effected by the environment. In fact, he seemed like it was normal. "Why aren't you cold, Chop Chop?" Spyro asked, keeping his chattering teeth in check as to communicate properly.

"I'm Undead remember," he told like it was a well-known fact, "I can't feel a thing."

"T-That m-must be n-nice," Sunburn commented, unable to control his shivering body very well. Seeing his discomfort, Spyro knew that the hybrid needed to stay warm since he was so used to the heat, and looked around quickly for the person who called for them.

The mountain was slightly foggy, with the mist being far enough away to be able to see part of the mountain. The purple dragon thought he saw some sort of movement, but dismissed it when another creature landed on their platform behind him. This forced the Skylanders to turn to the new comer with interested expressions.

It was a female Griffin, a creature with the body of a lion but the wings and head of an eagle. she was covered in black feathers, with two pointing out on her head for ears. The griffin also had metal bracers on her wrists and ankles.

The Griffin looked at the Skylanders indifferently, judging them with her own sight. Spyro and Chop Chop remained still, waiting for her to act in some way. Sunburn, on the other hand, took the initiative and stepped forward.

"A-Are you t-the one who s-summoned us?" he asked with authority, still being jittery from the cold. The griffin raised a brow, like she was not used to someone so easily effected by the cold. Eventually, though, the griffin smiled and nodded.

"Yes," she spoke at last, "I'm Sonic Boom, I need your help with something that is important to me."

It was at this point that Spyro noticed the bags that sat under her eyes. The purple dragon knew that she must have not been getting any sleep. But the real question was why.

Nevertheless, Spyro stepped up and stood by Sunburn with a smirk. "We'll help you anyway we can."

Sonic Boom smiled gratefully, and gestured for them to follow, taking flight afterwords. Sunburn did not hesitate to do so, but Spyro turned to Chop Chop worriedly, wondering how he would get there. The skeleton walked to the purple dragon, after seeing his expression, and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Spyro," he assured, "I'll make my way on foot. I may not look it, but I have a great sense of direction."

The purple dragon somehow knew that Chop Chop had the capabilities to find them again. But it would still take a while just to get to their location. Spyro gave a heavy sigh, and said, "Just be careful."

"I always am," the skeleton replied quietly, and the purple dragon took off after the other two fliers. Chop Chop took one last look of his surroundings, and began his trek to wherever his friends were.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

In only a few minutes, Sonic Boom led them to another platform on the mountain. This one was on the ridge that divided the mountain, with two pointed peaks on either side. If there was one thing that Spyro noticed, it was the nest that stood out from the snow. It was built with various pieces of twigs and branches. What was inside, however, made both Skylanders gawk in awe, making them forget the frigid climate.

In the nest sat four brown eggs, each nestled tightly yet snugly inside. Sonic Boom landed beside the nest, and Spyro and Sunburn did so at well, not taking their eyes off of the small objects. Seeing their gaping stares, the griffin gave a short giggle, but it was enough to have the Skylanders bring their attention back.

"These are my babies," she explained softly, "I haven't been able to sleep very well lately because I've been watching them. I needed someone to watch them while I rest up."

"No problem," Sunburn responded, his shaking seeming to dissipate abnormally, as he gazed back at the round eggs with care, "We'll guard your eggs while you get some sleep."

Spyro could tell that Sonic Boom was very tired, evident by her swaying body and half closed eyes. Without responding, the griffin walked over to her nest, and rested beside her eggs, reassuring herself that the Skylanders would watch over them.

As Sonic Boom steadily drifted off, Spyro and Sunburn instantly became cautious, positioning themselves so that they can cover the nest while keeping an eye out for trouble. They set themselves on opposite sides, and began their watch over the eggs.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Chop Chop could only silently curse the Arkeyans who created him as he made his way through the snow drifts. His bony appendages easily sank into the deep snow, causing him to sink quite fast. The only way to make it through was to take small, slow, and precise steps as to avoid being stuck in the snow.

As he made his way, the skeleton couldn't help but have his mind wander to previous events in his life. Some of which were not so happy; the cost of being practically immortal was pretty high. Chop Chop sighed, he really should concentrate on the matter at hand.

At that moment, his foot settled on ice, and the slick surface forced his foot to slip from his spot. The end result was Chop Chop tumbling humorously down the mountain side, grunting occasionally with each impact. When he finally slid to a halt, some where a bit further than he intended, he let loose a small groan of irritation and fatigue.

"Nothing is ever easy," he grumbled to himself as he stood back up, "I should know this by now."

Brushing the snow off of his arms and legs, Chop Chop noticed the footprints in the snow. They did not match his own feet, nor of his companions; They were new to this mountain side, and seeing how fresh they were, the person was nearby.

Seeing the direction that the prints were leading to the location he was heading, he put the pieces together and was not happy with the outcome. If he was correct, then the foot prints were going to Sonic Boom's place, and that did not bode well.

Knowing that his friends might be in trouble, Chop Chop took off, hoping to find whoever was out here before it was too late.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Meanwhile, Spyro and Sunburn had not moved an inch, portraying as statues even. Though the mission itself was simpler than most, they took it seriously. If Sonic Boom had not contacted the Skylanders, then it wouldn't have been very important; Someone must want the eggs badly.

Aware of their available free time, Sunburn turned his gaze over to Sonic Boom, who seemed deep in sleep. She seemed at peace, and Sunburn was glad he could render assistance. She was fairly cute, if not pretty, and Sunburn could feel a sign of content at watching her rest.

Upon realizing that he was staring, Sunburn turned away, his blush hidden fairly well with his fire element. He felt like he didn't have any chance anyway, considering that he would leave after he accomplished his objective. Sighing with his head facing the ground, he hoped he could at least stay a little longer.

A few more minutes passed without any incident, with Spyro and Sunburn staying alert for any trouble makers. Suddenly, a foul and terrible smell invaded their noses causing the duo to gag and hastily cover them.

"Jeez, what is that?!" Spyro exclaimed, keeping in mind that someone was sleeping.

"I don't know," Sunburn answered, trying to hold back his lunch. "It smells like liver and brussel sprouts."

Spyro nearly lost it at those words, and gasped for air to stop his nausea, "I don't even want to know how you know that. Anyway, why does it smell so bad?! That stuff must be awful!"

"Hey!" shouted a voice out of no where, "It's tastier then you think!"

The comment made the two Skylanders freeze from their endeavours to keep the smell out. In their shock, they slowly turned their heads to where the voice had come from.

As if the person knew, there was an exasperated sigh and the voice asked, "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Come out!" Spyro demanded, his sense of smell now completely ignoring the stink, "There's no point in hiding; We know you're here!"

"Oh, very well," huffed the voice, and the figure just appeared, pulling off a cloak that allowed him invisibility. He seemed irritated as he stood to one side of the nest, away from Spyro and Sunburn.

Seeing the new face, the purple dragon gave a perplexed expression, not sure how to deal with him. "And... you are?" Spyro prompted, hoping he would fill the gap.

"I am only the powerful Wizard Ruber," he Emphasized in a demeaning tone. An awkward silence followed, with the Skylanders not being sure on how to act. Spyro finally spoke, however, as he realized something.

"You're here for the eggs aren't you!" the purple dragon accused, getting into a combat stance. At Spyro's words, Sunburn did so as well, if not more aggressive; He had a little bit more of a reason to protect Sonic Boom's unhatched babies.

"Oh come come now," Ruber said, waving his hand idly. "It's not like she would miss one egg. Just give me one and I'll be off."

"Not in your life," Sunburn growled, walking in between the wizard and the nest.

"If we must fight," Ruber replied menacingly, rolling up his sleeves, "Then let us fight!"

The wizard's hands filled with red balls of energy, and he hurled the projectiles at the Skylanders. Sunburn and Spyro both leapt and dodged out of the way of the shots. To Sonic Boom's credit, she was not awakened by the attacks; Being deep in sleep from guarding the eggs prior to the Skylanders.

At last, Sunburn used his teleport ability, and he reappeared in front of Ruber with an explosion along with it. The attack sent the wizard a few feet back, but he rapidly stood up. With an angry scowl, Ruber did some fancy weaves of his hand and a red energy sword was formed. wielding the sword with two hands, He swung it horizontal at Sunburn, who had to fall back to not get hit.

Spyro took to the air and did a fly over above Ruber as he breathed fire. The wizard instantly made a shield, covering himself from the intense heat. In retaliation, Ruber jumped up and swung wildly at Spyro. Luckily, the purple dragon veered away just in time, and blasted another breath of fire at him. In the air, Ruber didn't have time to put up a shield, and so took the attack directly.

Landing in a not-so-fancy way, the wizard began babbling to himself about unfair advantages, put away his energy sword, and put on his invisibility cloak. The duo knew that they couldn't fight what they couldn't see, and looked around frantically for any sign of Ruber. In only a moment, a ball of red energy flew through the air and hit Spyro in the chest, tossing him back with a cry of despair.

Seeing where the attack originated from, Sunburn let loose a breath of flames. There was no yelp of pain from his attack, so the Skylander assumed that he missed. This was acknowledged when another ball of energy came soaring through the air. Luckily, Sunburn ducked out of the way before it hit. Acting quickly, the hybrid leapt forward in hopes of catching the wizard off guard.

However, it seemed that Ruber had side stepped his attack, and without delay, the villain cast another ball of energy. Sadly, this one hit its mark, right on Sunburn's side. The hybrid slid through the snow, which also stung him slightly because of his fire element. The attack left the Skylander disoriented, with his vision coming in and out. One moment, he could see spontaneous footprints appearing, as if an invisible entity was heading his way. The next, he could see Chop Chop come charging through the snow drift.

The skeleton, seeing the foot prints, sliced through where Ruber was standing. A second passed with no event, but then the cloak fell off, revealing a stunned wizard.

"What- How in Skylands did you do that?!" Ruber demanded as he tapped himself to be sure that he was still in one piece.

Chop Chop chuckled as he put the blade on his shoulder and rested his shield arm by his side. "They don't call me Chop Chop for nothing," the skeleton laughed nonchalantly.

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Ruber shouted, throwing his arms in the air to show his unrest. Speaking of unrest, after the wizard's shout of anger, Sonic Boom finally stirred from her sleep. Though she was groggy at first, she quickly picked up on what was going on. All the Skylanders were facing a figure wearing a red cloak, and they did not look happy.

She looked quickly to her eggs and was relieved to see that they were intact. That did not stop her blood from boiling, however, at the implication that this wizard was going to take one of them. Without warning, the Griffin jumped up from her position on her nest, and sent a high frequency of air at Ruber, being careful not to hurt the Skylanders.

The moment the force hit his body and eardrums, the wizard instantly recoiled clutching his ears like they were on fire. The Skylanders were absolutely baffled by Ruber's change in demeanor. Though they could hear a slight ringing noise, they weren't as effected as their opponent was.

"Gah! Make it stop!" he yelled as he backpedaled quickly to get out of range. Since he wasn't looking where he was going, the heel of his foot struck a rock hidden by the snow, and he waved his arms around to regain balance. In his confusion, he accidentally weaved a spell that had green light within his hands. Another moment later, Ruber and released the spell in the direction of the nest.

Seeing where the attack would land, Sunburn instantly went for the nest, and tackled Sonic Boom out of the way. Just when he did, the green energy had enveloped the nest, but more specifically, the eggs. Since Sonic Boom had ended her deafening screech, the wizard was free from the terrible noise. It's a shame he couldn't reclaim his footing and fell off the platform. His fall turned into rolling as he made his way down the mountain, until he was a giant snowball. Inevitably, the wizard was out of sight and out of mind.

Meanwhile, Sonic Boom watched with a horrified expression at the green-covered nest. She desperately wanted to rush over and save her eggs, even if there was no chance. However, Sunburn would not allow it, as he held her back.

Spyro and Chop Chop knew that they couldn't retrieve the eggs without being in the spell either, and waited it out instead. When the green spell finally dissipated, Sunburn stopped restraining Sonic Boom, and the Griffin surged forward to her eggs. By their appearance, the eggs seemed unharmed, setting her at ease.

To make matters better, the eggs began to shake, which made Sonic Boom's frown quickly turn into a smile, and she gestured the others to gather around.

"Come quickly!" she requested, "They're hatching!"

The Skylanders did so with earnest, excited to see life born in front of their eyes. Even Chop Chop couldn't resist a chance at the hatching of the babies; Mostly used to taking life than seeing it come.

The shaking of the eggs resulted in cracking then the little heads smashing their way through. The small Griffins were confused at the new world before them, but everyone couldn't help but smile at their cute faces. Though, Spyro couldn't be sure how Chop Chop felt when he gave a quick glance in his direction.

"They're..." Sonic Boom said quietly, "They're beautiful."

Sunburn closed his eyes in happiness, glad that Sonic Boom's children were finally safe. However, a sharp gasp from the Griffin shook him out of his happy demeanor, and he looked at the babies once again, a shocked expression of his own.

Though the babies were already out of their egg shells, the same shells were quickly covering the little Griffins once again. Everyone was dumbfounded by this, especially Sonic Boom.

"What?" she said slowly, too startled to comprehend what had just happened.

"Oh, no," Chop Chop chimed in, having taken a few steps back from the rest of the group. The others turned to him in confusion, except for Sonic Boom, who could only stare at her eggs in disbelief.

"What do you mean?" Spyro questioned, tilting his head to the side with a serious expression.

The skeleton crossed his arms, thinking of where to begin. "When I was a mercenary," he started, "I ran into a few wizards. They were easy targets, but that's not the point. What I'm getting at is that I remember that spell perfectly."

"Alright," Sunburn said, his voice shaky, "What does the spell do?"

The skeleton was silent, almost afraid to tell his fellow Skylanders, and Griffin, of what the spell held, but he had to. "It's a time spell, one that repeats the last seconds of an action for infinity."

He looked over at the eggs with a morbid expression, "I guess the hatching of Sonic Boom's eggs is what repeats."

The Skylanders stayed quiet for a time, taking in the new information and not liking it one bit. They all looked at the nest again, seeing Sonic Boom still hang over it, having not moved a muscle.

"Sonic-" Sunburn began but stopped abruptly at the sound of crying. He walked over tenderly, and saw the Griffin sobbing. The hybrid could only watch helplessly as she cried, the tears sliding off her beak harmlessly. At seeing Sonic Boom in this state, the Skylanders knew that they had truly failed their objective.

Everyone could only stay where they stood, eyeing the ground pathetically, wondering what they could've done differently to save the eggs. After a few strained minutes, Sonic Boom forced herself to stop her bawling, and wiped what tears were let on her face.

She calmed herself first with a few deep breaths and walked over to Chop Chop. "How can it be cured?" she asked with a hint of anger.

The skeleton saw the flames of revenge in her eyes, but he answered her question anyway. "You have to have the wizard who cast the spell to undo it. Otherwise, there is no other way."

Sonic Boom sighed, her furious gaze diverting to one of misery. "How am I ever going to find that stupid Wizard Ruber?"

Sunburn knew exactly what she could do, but knew that it wasn't his choice. He gave a glance to Spyro, who saw the notion and nodded his approval. Nodding back, Sunburn stepped forward to stand beside Sonic Boom.

"You can become a Skylander," he told her, staring off into the distance. "You'll be able to explore other islands, and maybe that good-for-nothing wizard will be there."

Sonic Boom looked up at him with new-found respect and kindness. She felt fond of this Skylander, for the purposes of not only helping her, but also comforting her. She smiled, already feeling some of her unease slip away, as she stared at the broad figure beside her.

"Okay," she agreed, looking off in the distance as well. "I'll become a Skylander, but _you_ have to make a promise." she finished playfully.

"A promise?" he repeated, his voice faltering slightly at the proposal as he looked over to Sonic Boom. She looked back, making Sunburn's face become hotter than usual.

"Promise me," she said quietly, "that you'll help me and my babies."

"Like what?" the hybrid questioned curiously, an eyebrow raised.

"Just with settling in, nothing major," the Griffin explained, causing Sunburn to relax visibly.

"Can we please leave now?" Chop Chop moaned, "All this cold is freezing my joints."

Spyro came to the same point as the skeleton, as a wave of freezing air washed over him suddenly. How he was able to ignore it until now was a mystery, but that didn't stop him from concurring with Chop Chop.

"Maybe we can stay for another five minutes to, you know, enjoy the scenery," Sunburn mocked with a smirk.

"Ugh," Chop Chop groaned, face palming, and everyone else laughed.

* * *

**So, I thought over the whole preview thing, and I realized that the anticipation for the next chapter and Skylander makes this story so much better. So I'm staying the course; no preview, sorry. Also, you guys are awesome. Wouldn't be here without you. I mean, seriously, you guys _make_ the story, in a matter of speaking of course.**


	14. Chapter 14: It's Feeding Time

**Man, sorry this took so long. I wasn't liking where the chapter was going and restarted, and I had writer's block as well. Also, apologies to HadesNecromancer, my post editor. But it is here, I have glasses, and I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 14: It's Feeding Time**

It was another normal day at the Dirt Sea. Everyone was either relaxing in the sun or playing in the dirt. The entire area, after all, was a whole landscape of soft dirt, with a few patches of harder dirt for anchoring purposes. How an area like this became a popular recreation spot is anybodies guess, but that hardly mattered to a certain lifeguard at this time.

Terrafin took his job quite seriously, not to the point where he was spouting rules to every passerby, but that he was constantly looking for offenders. The beach may be fun, but it can be dangerous as well. The number of people who had almost drowned in the last week was numerous; most of them were ignorant Mabu who said that it was impossible to drown in dirt.

Currently, the area was calm and peaceful. No one was really doing much, probably because of the blistering heat of the day. For Terrafin, this was his single opportunity to just lay back and catch some sleep. He felt like he deserved it, especially after the whole gang fiasco only two days ago.

However, even with this chance to settle down and not worry about the day, Terrafin opted to do exercises instead. The heat hardly hindered him as he did so, and when visitors to the Dirt Sea saw him exercising, they knew to turn the other away and watch themselves.

As Terrafin did his fin-ups and jaw-curls, he didn't notice as a battle was taking place directly above the Dirt Sea itself. Though, to everybody's credit, it was many miles overhead and to most it was just a few flying birds.

That was not the case, however, as the Skylanders were fighting a strange metallic ship. It was triangular in appearance, with two wings extended out on both sides. Thrusters from the back gave it power as it pushed through the skies, avoiding the Skylanders as best as it could.

Spyro couldn't punctuate how annoying it was as well. It was already weird enough to get a Shade Alert from the middle of no where, but now it was as if it was leading them somewhere. To his side was Gill Grunt, with his Water Jetpack, and Drobot, sporting his ever-present robot suit. Between them, they thought that it would be an easy takedown. But it seems the aircraft wanted to prove otherwise.

The three Skylanders tried their best to catch this maneuverable vehicle, but it always strayed away just out of range of their attacks. They hoped that they could get close enough to it before it did some real damage. Spyro couldn't help but see that it was leading them to the Dirt Sea.

"How on Skylands are we supposed to stop this thing?!" shouted Gill Grunt in frustration, fidgeting with his harpoon.

"By my calculations," Drobot answered, "It should be almost out of fuel."

"I would ask you how figured that out," Spyro said with a look of wonder, "but I'd probably be too confused to understand. Anyway, if you're right, which you usually are, then we can wrap this up quick."

"Hopefully by lunch time," Gill Grunt grumbled, with an irritated expression.

Before the others could reply to his comment, the ship slowed down significantly, and the Skylanders zoomed past it. They realized, with a hint of horror, that they were now the ones being chased. The ship also knew this as it started firing upon the group.

They all ducked and weaved about to avoid a direct hit, but they still had more than a few close calls. Spyro quickly formulated a plan in his head, confident that it would work.

"Okay," he announced to his friends, narrowly dodging a shot, "I'm going to get behind it, you guys distract it until I can destroy its thrusters."

"Sounds easy enough," Gill Grunt commented dryly, "All we have to do is not get killed. How hard could it be?"

"Glad you approve," Spyro quipped with a smirk. He then did a loop, which allowed him to quickly get behind the airship with ease. In position, Spyro breathed a load of fire into the engine, and watched with smugness as it blew up.

The vehicle began to descend rapidly, but it was able to hit one of Gill Grunt's tanks before it began to plummet completely. Water was spewing out of the newly made hole, and soon the Skylander himself was starting to fall. Luckily, Drobot saw this and grabbed one of his hands before it could get out of hand.

"No worries now, friend!" Drobot exclaimed happily, "I have you now."

"Don't expect me to repay the favor!" Gill Grunt snapped with anger, flaying around slightly.

Spyro only half listened, watching as the machine descended at a fast rate. The trajectory was heading away from the Dirt Sea, but something took place before it left the vicinity.

It exploded in midair.

It was so sudden and unexpected that the Skylanders hardly had time to react as a large fiery blast resonated from the explosion. Luckily, they were already out of range from the blast, but the Dirt Sea was not as fortunate.

On ground level, Terrafin was shaken from his exercises, and looked up in shock at the sudden explosion. The fire that was quickly approaching the Dirt Sea made Terrafin fearful for the citizens, and his role as a lifeguard out weighed any other form of logic.

In record time, Terrafin ordered everyone out of the Dirt Sea and even grabbed a few disobedient individuals. He was able to get everyone out of the soft dirt, and when the blast hit, sadly, the fire instantly turned the whole sea to a sheet of glass.

The crowd was stunned by this, but no one was as miserable as Terrafin himself. The sight was disheartening, as he was out of job now. Growling in frustration, he turned away from the glass sea, and simply walked away, pushing some people out of his way. As Terrafin left the area, the other witnesses panicked, scared that another explosion could take place any second.

The Skylanders landed moments later, interested at meeting the person who had saved the visitors from an untimely fate.

"I don't see him anywhere," Drobot announced, surveying the area.

"Let's just split up, how hard could it be to find one guy?" Gill Grunt stated agitatedly. The other two nodded, but when they looked upon the panicking and frantic crowd, they all gave a sigh of exasperation.

"Well so much for that plan," Spyro mumbled to himself, then addressing to the other Skylanders, "Let's sort out this crowd first."

"If we do, we'll never be able to find him," Drobot told, running calculations in his head as he gazed over at Spyro.

"We'll worry about that later," Spyro commented. He sighed, however, at not only the prospect of settling down the crazy bystanders, but also at finding that other hero. What he had done was astonishing, and recruiting him would be a no-brainer. Still, the safety of the citizens of Skylands comes first, and they also had training once they finished.

'A Skylanders job is never done I suppose,' Spyro thought.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

A week has passed since the incident, and the three had forgotten about the heroic efforts of the Dirt Shark. Not that they wanted to, but other problems had sprouted up that drove the thought out of their minds. Spyro, too busy with his other adventures, had dropped the subject entirely after a few days of searching. Admittedly, it was not his choice, as Eon thought that Spyro was growing a bit obsessed with the Dirt Shark.

At this time, the Shade Alarm had gone off yet again, and Spyro, along with Sonic Boom and Bash, rushed over to Master Eon for their next assignment.

"Where are we heading?" Spyro asked as soon as he and the others arrived at the Portal of Power.

"Boxer's Paradise," Eon stated calmly, gesturing toward the Portal for the Skylanders to jump on.

They did so without question, though Spyro had a question on another matter. "Boxer, as in someone who boxes, or as in the dog?"

Eon merely chuckled, "I think you will know when you get there."

Spyro gave a nod, and Master Eon, using his magic, whisked the Skylanders to their destination. In seconds, the three had made it to Boxer's Paradise, and immediately knew what type of boxer was featured.

A small stadium, sitting directly in the center of the island, was the main attraction. Spot lights focused their light to the night sky, adding a cinematic view of the building. The ground the Skylanders stood on was sand, mixed with dry dirt, with a few palm trees scattered around. There were no lines of bystanders, probably already inside to watch the match.

"Well that answers that question," Sonic Boom noted dryly.

Spyro rolled his eyes, but still smirked at her comment. "It was a relevant question at the time," Spyro defended playfully.

Dropping the discussion, they approached the stadium with a hint of uneasiness. They kept their eyes peeled for any evil activity, scanning the environment intently. With nothing to stop them from entering the stadium, they walked in and were immediately met with loud cheering and a dark hall way.

They walked down the extremely dim hallway, careful not to bumb into anything. Though it was inevitable, as a small smack followed by a grunt of pain came out.

"Stupid wall," Bash cursed to the inanimate object over the constant noise of the audience.

After a few more minutes of cautious walking, they made it to a large open area. Bright lights presented a boxing ring, with two contestants waiting on opposite corners. The ring itself was surrounded by bleachers holding many spectators, screaming their enthusiasm.

"A match is already starting?" Bash said with a hint of excitement. "This mission might not be so bad."

"I didn't know you watched boxing," Sonic Boom commented in mild surprise.

Bash chuckled, "I don't, but anything that takes strength, I can respect."

"We're not here to watch," Spyro stated, looking over the place with a steady eye.

"I know, I know," Bash sighed, "but I still think it's interesting."

After the brief conversation, they decided to split up, Bash went to the left of the ring, while Sonic Boom went right. Spyro hovered over head, and though he just told the others that they weren't here to watch, he couldn't help but observe the match. One of the contestants even looked familiar; Has he seen him from somewhere?

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer said over the microphone, "Today, we have two constants who had worked their way to the finals in only one week."

The crowd quieted down, but just barely, to hear the announcer, "In one corner, we have the metal monstrosity, weighing in at one ton, the one and only: Robo Robby!"

Fans of the robot boxer screamed their praise as the metal creation never moved an inch. He was as tall as any Mabu, and made up of square steel plates. Two yellow lights acted as eyes, and a poorly drawn smile portrayed its mouth. In each hand were boxing gloves.

"In the other corner," the announcer continued, "we have the terrifying fish of the sea, weighing in at a regular amount of pounds, the rookie boxer: Terrafin!"

The spectators, again, yelled out their delight as Terrafin waved his arms around, pumping up the crowd. Spyro recognized him at last, he was the Dirt Shark at the Dirt Sea. He had thought him lost, but here he was, boxing for some strange reason. At last, the bell rang, allowing the two contestants to start the fight.

They converged towards each other quickly, and started punching each other like crazy. It was too fast for anyone to keep up with, and the two boxers did not give any signs of slowing down. In a matter of seconds, dents and bruises were appearing on their bodies, and their punches were becoming slower.

For Terrafin, everything was in slow motion. The crowd's cheers became a distant whine, and the punches that he and Robo Robby exchanged were calculated and abrupt. Terrafin ended up blocking more than usual to not get downed too quickly. However, he saw his chance and took it, wailing on the robot without mercy.

Soon, breakers and electrical circuits began to pop and hiss as the fight went on. And with one last uppercut, Terrafin knocked the Robo Robby to the ground.

"No!" yelled an annoying high voice as a very short, bald man with a strange cloak, climbed into the ring, "Get up you lazy robot! I command you!"

The small man kicked Robo Robby, but all that gave him was a broken toe, as he began hopping around, clutching it. Terrafin crossed his arms and laughed at the spectacle, glad that he had won yet another match. It was short lived as the short man saw his laughing, and grew angry, stopping his hopping immediately.

"You!" he hissed with anger, "You made this happen! I was supposed to win this match and get the gambling money I bet on this stupid metal thing!"

"Yeah, well-" Terrafin began but stopped himself, finally examining the small man. "Wait... do I know you?"

"Of course not, you fool!" The man yelled threateningly. He then pointed a finger to the air, shouting, "Glumshanks!"

"Yes, Lord Kaos?" inquired a tall goblin outside the ring.

"Give me the Button of Great Growing!"

"Yes, Lord Kaos," Glumshanks nodded, throwing a small remote with a single red button on it. Kaos caught it, and gave an evil giggle, pressing it dramatically.

Though the Skylanders were ignoring the action in the ring, a sudden metallic clang caught their attention. Robo Robby suddenly grew five times as big as before, and pushed itself back on its feet, making Terrafin gawk in amazement.

When it stood completely straight, it looked down at Terrafin, who gulped instinctively. He did not expect to fight a robot five times his own height tonight, much less at all. Spyro, having watched the whole scene, also stared with bewilderment at the giant robot. Who was this tiny guy? How was he capable of such feats such as this? One thing was for certain, Spyro had to help the Dirt Shark.

"Yes!" Kaos shrieked with happiness. "Fear it! Fear the mighty giant robot!"

At that moment, a fire ball hit Robo Robby's chest, cuasing it to stumble back words, kicking Kaos off the stage in the process, who screamed like a small girl. Terrafin looked at the origin of the attack, and saw Spyro hovering in the air. Sonic Boom quickly joined his side, hovering as well, and Bash jumped into the ring, getting into a combat stance.

"You want a fight," Spyro grinned, "then you're getting one."

Bash pulled himself into a ball and rolled with high speed, smashing through one of the metal legs of Robo Robby. Spyro also attacked, doing a fly over while shooting another fire ball. However, the robot ignored his attack and punched Spyro who crashed to the ground.

Sonic Boom saw Kaos and Glumshanks attempting to slip away, and went over to intercept them. She landed in front of them, and they jumped back in surprise, but they quickly regained their attitude.

"Step aside, Skylander!" Kaos demanded, "You don't want to see me when I'm angry!"

Sonic Boom rolled her eyes in annoyance, and replied, "I'm sure you turn into a small green thing."

With that said, she used her sonic scream, forcing the two villains to put their hands over their ears. They squirmed where they stood as Kaos shouted over the noise, "Will you stop that infernal sound!?"

Though Sonic Boom gave no indication of letting up, the Skylanders fighting Robo Robby were not having as much luck. Spyro was having a hard time moving after being hit so hard, and Bash couldn't dodge the punches effectively. Terrafin wasn't sure if he should interfere or not, thinking that the Skylanders would do something soon.

After seeing Bash being punched through the boxing ring floor, however, Terrafin knew he had to step in. With a hard scowl and furrowed brow, he ran up to Robo Robby. The robot saw him coming, and tried to slam its fist into him. Luckily, Terrafin saw it coming, and jumped to the side. With the delay, the Dirt Shark swung his fist into the robot's hand knocking it clean off.

"Ha, ha, ha!" Terrafin laughed, bouncing between his feet. "Now who has the upper hand?"

Bash popped his head out from the stage, slightly disoriented, "Oh please tell me he did not just say that."

Spyro flew down to him, after his own recovery, and helped Bash out. "Yes he did," the purple dragon sighed.

Terrafin wasn't done with the robot, though, and began punching it all over. Parts flew off, and electrical wiring was poking out in exposed areas. Spyro, using his fire breath, burned these weak points, making certain places explode. Bash decided it was best that he take a break, though, as he couldn't think as clearly as before after that last attack.

Spyro and Terrafin, with their combined attacks, reduced Robo Robby to nothing more than scrape metal in thirty seconds flat. They stood next to each other after the battle, breathing hard and with a few oil stains on them. They looked at each other, and chuckled.

"Terrafin," the Dirt Shark introduced, taking off the boxing gloves and tossing them aside.

"Spyro," the purple dragon responded, looking around for Sonic Boom, who was mysteriously absent. Then he spotted her, she was unconscious at the entrance of the stadium. With a worry plastered on his face, Spyro quickly flew over to her, and she stirred from her sleep when he landed beside her.

"Sonic Boom," Spyro said quietly, "What happened?"

She stood up, closing her eyes from her sore body and to think of an answer. "The last thing I remember," Sonic Boom groaned, rubbing her head, "was that I was holding off that crazy short guy. Then something hitting me on the head, hard."

"Don't worry about him," Spyro smiled, patting her shoulder, "I'm just glad nothing happened to you."

"To an extent," Bash grumbled, walking up to the two. Spyro looked around the stadium, finally noticing the crowd was gone. When did they take off? However, what was even more confusing was that Terrafin was gone.

"Hey where did..." Spyro started, but then saw a shark fin in the ground heading to his position. Terrafin jumped out from the ground, startling the Skylanders.

"Wha- What was that?" Bash yelled out, shaking his head in confusion.

"I'm a Dirt Shark," Terrafin explained, shrugging his shoulders, "I can swim in dirt."

Sonic Boom and Bash sighed rolling their eyes, but Spyro was ecstatic. "That was awesome!" he exclaimed with glee, "I know of friend of mine who will love you."

"Yeah, yeah, that's nice," Terrafin waved off, looking around himself, "Where did that short annoying thing run off to?"

"You mean that Kaos guy?" Sonic Boom questioned, and Terrafin nodded. "We lost him, why?"

Terrafin slapped his hands to his forehead in frustration, "That guy owes me five dollars!"

"You knew him?!" Spyro asked with surprise.

"Well, not exactly," Terrafin mumbled, crossing his arms, "He asked me a few nights ago to borrow five dollars. I told him he better pay me back, since it was my last bit of money."

Bash raised a brow, "So, you just want your money back? Your _five dollars_ back?"

Terrafin shook his fist in the air, "Darn right I do! Where can I sign up?"

"To be a Skylander?" Sonic Boom inquired, and Spyro's smile grew yet again.

"Of course!" Terrafin shouted with anger, "I want to take down that guy, get my money back, and maybe help Skylands now and then."

"Welcome aboard!" Spyro announced with a grin, glad that he was able to recruit another person. Bash and Sonic Boom stared at Spyro with a look of confusion, wondering why they would get someone like this to become a Skylander.

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The group of four appeared in a white wisp of smoke in the Ruins, on top of the Portal of Power. As usual, Master Eon was standing off to the side, awaiting the Skylanders return.

"I am glad you made it back, Skylanders," Eon exclaimed with a smile, before his eyes glanced over to Terrafin, who looked slightly woozy from the transportation. "And I see you brought a recruit. Wonderful!"

"Yes, sir, his name is Terrafin" Spyro acknowledged with a quick bow, then he grew serious, "But before that, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, young dragon," Eon encouraged.

Thinking of the right words to say, Spyro spoke slowly and with a tinge of worry, "Do you know someone named 'Kaos'?"

At the mention of the enemy, Eon seemed to recoil, but just barely. Spyro raised a brow, he has never seen him behave this way before. At Boxer's Paradise, Kaos didn't seem like much of a threat, besides his wacky machines.

Eon stood silent, facing the ground with closed eyes in deep thought. The others looked at each other with uncertainty, wondering what made Kaos so dangerous. Finally, Eon looked up at them, his face tense with anxiety, "I presume you encountered him on your travel?"

Spyro could only nod, his nervousness growing with each minute that Eon was on edge. Eon began to pace back and forth in front of the Skylanders, as he announced, "Kaos is an evil Portal Master, one that is not even native to Skylands. As much as I know, I have very little knowledge of his history, but I know his motives."

Eon abruptly halted in his pacing, turning to the four before him. They all waited with baited breath, their faces almost begging for Eon to continue.

Giving a heavy sigh, Eon said, "To take over Skylands."

The Skylanders blinked simultaneously, as their brains worked to process what Eon had said. Finally, Bash spoke up, "Well... it could be worse."

"Yeah," Sonic Boom agreed, "I mean, at least he isn't trying to _destroy _Skylands."

Spyro smiled, "Don't worry about him, Master Eon. We can take care of anything he throws at us."

Eon couldn't help but grin at the Skylanders optimistic views. He was sure that all the other Skylanders would agree as well. Then he glanced over to Terrafin, seeing his patient frame waiting for his title of becoming a Skylander.

"My apologies," Eon addressed Terrafin, "I forgot that you were here for a reason."

Eon struck the ground with his staff, and a picture of the Earth element projected from the top of it. "Terrafin," Eon stated, "You are now the Skylander for the element of Earth."

The Dirt Shark rolled his eyes, it was kind of obvious from the beginning, considering his background. Still, he smiled at becoming a hero of Skylands, even if it was mostly to get his five dollars back.

Bash stretched his back, grunting with pleasure as he did so. "I don't know about you guys," he announced, finishing his stretch, "But I'm going to get some training in."

"I'll join you," Spyro added, and the two went inside the tower to head to the stairs. Sonic Boom was about to take off, but not before Terrafin noticed her somewhat hasty behavior.

"Where are you going?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

She stumbled with her words, not sure how to answer the question. "Well," she began awkwardly, turning her eyes to the side, "I promised to meet up with Sunburn after this mission. So..."

Terrafin could just faintly see her blush as she spoke, and before he could inquire further, she leapt off the ledge of the balcony and flew towards the Fire accommodations. Terrafin tilted his head to the side, and Eon chuckled at his baffled state.

Shrugging, Terrafin hopped up onto the balcony railing, and swan dived into the dirt with ease. Eon chuckled harder at his antics, and shook his head; The Skylanders were definitely unique and special in their own way. He didn't know why he was worried about Kaos. They would keep the peace, and maybe get a laugh in as well.

Meanwhile, Terrafin was enjoying the dirt that made up the Ruins. It was soft to plow through, yet hard enough to present a challenge, albeit an easy one. He made sure to note where the edges were on this island, and also to stick to the surface. Years of swimming in dirt taught him to make sure not to fall off the island.

He poked his head out of the ground, surveying the meadow he has been digging around. It was calm, and he could get used to the relatively small area, so long as they have meat in the cafeteria. Suddenly, an orange head, popped out of the ground right in front of him, making him jerk back in shock.

A few seconds passed as he stared at the strange orange creature, who stared right back. Terrafin wasn't sure what to think; It wasn't another Dirt Shark, and, as far as he knew, they were the only ones who were able to move in the dirt freely. Seeing his creature just burst out of no where was completely and utterly weird.

"Uh... who are you?" Terrafin questioned without moving.

The orange creature gave an impossibly wide grin, and shouted, "Trigger Happy is my name, Digging is my fame!"

Terrafin chuckled at Trigg's rhyme, "Fame, huh? Not any more, buddy, because I'm in town now."

"Which town?" Trigger asked, blinking a few times in innocence.

Terrafin opened and closed his jaw, his mind completely blank at Trigger Happy's response. This was certainly going to be a strange experience here.

"Never mind," Terrafin grumbled diving back in the dirt. Trigger Happy watched as he swam, his fin going to and fro. Then, he slowly sank back into the ground, never to be seen for the rest of the chapter.

'That was odd,' Terrafin thought as he dug. There was always one reason why he loved to swim: it was relaxing. It soothed him in a rather mundane way, like a baby being sung a lullaby. It put him in a bliss, making him forget many of the boring and sometimes stressful things of life.

At that moment, Terrafin hit something metal with a loud pang. His head gave a hurtful throb, and he instantly stopped his swimming, rubbing his aching head with his hands. When the pain receded enough, he gazed at what he had hit, and his eyes shot open in confusion.

Though it was difficult to see with the lack of light and the dirt covering it, Terrafin could tell it was red and gold, in a consistent way. His curiosity overwhelming his judgement, Terrafin grabbed what looked like a gold metal bar, and hauled it back to the surface. It didn't take long, as he was already pretty close to begin with, and in no time, he was able to drag it into the open.

However, upon seeing the object completely, Terrafin still couldn't fathom what it was, or what it was designed for. It looked to be a train-like robot, with one gear on each side for wheels, and two large drills for hands. A turret was attached on the top, and its eyes were darkened with no life.

"Now what are you?" Terrafin mumbled to the inanimate object, tracing his hand around its strange drills. Deciding it was probably for the best to show Eon, Terrafin grasped the front firmly, and began to tug him over to the tower.

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A few minutes was all that had passed when Terrafin had brought the object into the tower. He entered the library, glancing around for where to search for Eon as he dragged the robot along with him. Drobot, who was reading one of the books at a table, looked up at the entry, and watched in awe of Terrafin's find.

Terrafin saw his gawking, and gave a frown of disapproval. "Can I help you?" Terrafin asked irritably, snapping Drobot out of his demeanor.

"Sorry," he instantly apologized, but still kept his gaze at the robot "I'm Drobot, and you have an awesome robot."

"It's not mine," Terrafin stated, giving a quick look at the robot himself, before turning back to Drobot. "I'm Terrafin, Earth element."

Drobot ignored him, though mentally took note of his name, and walked over to the robot with profound interest. It was at this moment that Eon walked down the stairs, and saw the display before him.

Seeing him enter, Terrafin jumped up and down, waving his arms wildly, "Master Eon, can you take a look at this?"

Eon briskly made his way over, and peered down at the robot that still had patches of dirt on it. Rubbing his chin, Eon bent down and examined it closer, narrowing his eyes. Drobot was also doing the same, standing right beside Eon.

After an uncountable amount of time, Eon pulled away from his examination. "I can't tell if it is evil or not, nor if it can even be activated," he commented.

Terrafin scratched his head, pondering what he could do to figure out the conundrum as well. Drobot looked at the different parts wearily, his mind working fast. Then he beamed in happiness, as if a light bulb went off over his head. As quick as a flash, he ran out of the room. Terrafin wasn't sure what to make of his sudden change of mood, but didn't have time to do so anyway, as he had returned, dragging someone with him.

"Let go of me, you moron!" Chop Chop growled, resisting Drobot's grasp as he dragged him by his right arm. "I wasn't ment to be dragged around like a doll! Do you have no respect for your elders!"

Drobot let him go, and Chop Chop took a few steps back, glancing around for his bearings. When his eyes fell upon the robot, he tilted his head to the side, not in surprise, but in remembrance.

"Well I'll be," Chop Chop whispered in amazement, drawing closer to the robot with slow steps and forgetting Drobot's earlier behavior.

"Do you recognize it?" Drobot inquired, shaking with anticipation. Chop Chop ignored him as he advanced, causing Drobot to groan. Terrafin didn't know who the skeleton was, but he could always ask later. For now, he was equally curious as to what this robot was.

When Chop Chop was close enough, he placed his hand on the robot, patting it fondly. "This is an Arkeyan Dig Bot, built to drill through hard material. I thought them all destroyed when the Skylanders took down the Arkeyans."

"I'm guessing this was a long time ago," Terrafin figured, crossing his arms. Though he was unfamiliar with Chop Chop's past, Terrafin guessed that he used to be with the Arkeyans.

Chop Chop regarded the new Skylander a moment, and gave a small nod before facing back down to the robot. "They were all taken apart and studied by the Skylanders, and those that were not used were incinerated. This must be the last genuine Dig Bot; The last of its kind."

Drobot's eyes widened, his mouth hanging open in complete amazement. "Whoa," he whispered excitedly, "Can it be turned on?"

"I'm not sure," Chop Chop responded, looking over at Drobot, "It would need a certain spell to reactivate it. Even then, its parts could be rusted to oblivion."

"I have the means to reactivate it, Chop Chop," Eon announced, "I must know, however, how it will react when it is powered up."

Chop Chop focused on Eon, thinking a second to recal the info about this robot type. "It should have reset itself if it has been powered down completely," Chop Chop explained, "So I would presume that it would not know what is friend and foe unless it is met with hostility."

Eon nodded, and motioned for everyone to stand back. When they were far enough away, he put his staff in front of him, and closed his eyes. He began a chant that no one could understand, not even the knowledgable Drobot or the experienced Chop Chop.

A yellow light erupted from the top of Eon's staff, and it engulfed the robot completely. After awhile, the yellow light dissipated, and there stood the robot completely operational. It didn't move at first, and everyone held their breath to its reaction.

"Arkeyan Dig Bot 20-A," the robot suddenly boomed, his robotic voice startling everyone. "Codename: Drill Sergeant, reporting for duty."

"At ease," Chop Chop commanded, but the robot did not follow the order. Instead, whirling could be heard, as it processed its surroundings.

"New voice detected," it announced to the room, "analyzing data... data not found. Activating sensor function."

More clanking and ticking could be heard as it turned on its sensor, scanning the area. After which, the robot turned like a tank and faced Terrafin, who was staring at the robot in bewilderment.

"Sensor data collected, must serve entity number three for eternity," the robot stated.

Everyone looked at Terrafin, who looked back with shock. "What, me?" he asked no one in particular.

"Affirmative," the robot answered.

At the robot's response, Terrafin waved his hands in front of him desperately. "No no no no," he practically yelled, "I don't need a servant, robot... thing."

"Irrelevant," the robot replied harshly, "Must serve entity number three for eternity for saving unit's life, as it is said in Arkeyan Law number 33562."

As an after thought, the robot added, "and I am codename: Drill Sergant."

"Drill Sergeant..." Chop Chop mused to himself, rubbing his chin, "I can't remember that name, but it has been a long time."

"Anyway," Terrafin brought the attention to the problem at hand, "I don't like the thought of this 'Drill Sergeant' following me around and doing what I want."

Drobot gave a smirk, "you could always give it a conundrum. You know, a question without an answer."

After thinking about it a second, Terrafin gave Drill Sergeant a stern glare, and said, "This sentence is false."

There was a long period of silence as everyone watched Drill Sergeant. It had not moved an inch, and the whirling and such from before was even absent.

Chop Chop, after a few minutes, stated, "I think you broke-"

"False," Drill Sergeant suddenly exclaimed, making everyone become instantly confused, "The sentence you said is false."

"No it's not," Drobot scoffed with a shake of his head.

Drill Sergeant swiveled in his position, facing Drobot fully. "Prove it," he accused plainly.

Drobot opened his mouth to respond, but the horror from that simple sentence stopped him. In reaction, Drobot just laughed, "You got me there."

"I'm outta here," Terrafin announced, turning and heading for the door to the meadow. Drill Sergeant, his law still stuck in his head, followed him to the door. Noticing the robot in tow, Terrafin rounded on him.

"Stop following me!" Terrafin ordered, before running out the door. Drill Sergeant stood still, contemplating the words.

Eventually, Drill Sergeant exclaimed, "Does not compute, must continue obligations."

Chop Chop, Drobot, and Eon laughed as Drill Sergeant surged right after Terrafin out the door. Eon couldn't help but consider the robot a worthy Skylander as well, if it was able to handle itself, of course. Though, with those drills, it definitely would be a worthy, and rather fun, Skylander to have around.

* * *

**That was for you, Venessa De Bryer. This was somewhat of a test, to see how having two Skylanders in one chapter would do. All I can say is, it is not worth it. It felt rushed to me, and it doesn't flesh out the characters enough. Tell me what you think, and if you want to see more.**


	15. Chapter 15: Fruit Punch

**Okay, here we are. I've seen some people ask for this, and so I bring. Just to let you know, this was proofread by my new post-editor, HadesNecromancer.**

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 15: Fruit Punch**

Training was becoming increasingly difficult, but Spyro really couldn't complain. He kind of liked it, in a way; It drove him to become the best there was. He didn't want to brag, but he thought he was a lot better than a month ago. Some of the other Skylanders even agreed, saying their praise with no pause.

The morning training session was over, and Spyro decided to take an earlier break than usual. None of the other Skylanders spoke against it, in fact, most of them hardly even noticed. Spyro was somewhat glad of that, he was afraid that they would object, but they understand what he puts into being a Skylander, and respected it.

On his way to the Mess Hall, Spyro took a deep breath, regarding the beautiful day with a proud smile. Maybe he could read a book in the sun after his lunch, or help Drobot with his next project. The day was full of possibilities.

"Pst!" Spyro heard someone hiss from behind a bush by the Mess Hall. Spyro raised a brow, wondering if he had heard it at all. "Spyro! Get over here!"

Spyro quickly did so, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone had seen. He came face to face with Terrafin, who looked slightly anxious, as he constantly looked around his surroundings.

"Did he see you?" he asked desperately, "Please tell me he didn't see you."

"Who didn't see me?" Spyro questioned, keeping his voice down for the sake of Terrafin.

"Drill Sergeant, of course," Terrafin whispered, as he looked over Spyro's head, and Spyro had a small chuckle with a shake of his head. "Come on, don't laugh. This is serious. He won't leave me alone, and he keeps wanting to do _everything_ for me. You have to help me, Spyro."

"What can I do?" Spyro asked in skepticism, "It's not like I can order him to stop."

"You're the leader of the Skylanders," Terrafin exclaimed, forgetting his sneaky demeanor, while throwing his arms in the air, "He'll listen to you."

"Savior-Terrafin! I have located you!" a robotic voice said right behind Terrafin, causing him to jump in fright and hide behind Spyro. There stood Drill Sergeant in all his glory.

"You forgot your sweater at home," he explained, holding up the red cloth with one of his drills.

"Stop treating me like a kid!" Terrafin barked, "I can take care of myself."

Spyro couldn't help but recall the time when Drill Sergeant joined to the present. In a few days, Drill had followed Terrafin non-stop. He wanted dearly to help him in any way possible, but Terrafin would want nothing of it. In the time span, Drill Sergeant had learned the names of the other Skylanders, but added a title to each one before using the actual name. Most had taken it with stride, while others not so much.

"Gah! Just leave me alone!" Terrafin yelled, running out of the bush with haste. Drill wasn't fazed by his actions, and gave chase himself, dropping the sweater in his haste. Spyro also went after them, more out of amusement than the well being of Terrafin.

The chase was rather unusual, as Terrafin and Drill Sergeant would just go in circles, while Spyro watched in the distance with confusion. Spyro couldn't help but wonder why one didn't just break off. It would be far easier. Then again, both of them are too frantic to think clearly.

As if he was reading Spyro's mind, Terrafin made a break for Eon Tower, but Drill had caught on and was still right behind him. Spyro also lazily followed, though he was losing the interest that it usually held.

Spyro's eyes left the action and drifted upward, starting to get bored. That's when he saw the barrel of water held by a few strings above the entrance to the tower. Now he was deeply puzzled. Why is it there? Who put it there? Something told him he was going to get his answers soon, as Terrafin was heading right below the barrel.

As for Terrafin, he wished he could be left alone from that robot. Whatever he did, however, was useless, and now Drill Sergeant was more persistent than ever. Suddenly, he stumbled over a piece of string that he had not seen. He halted in his tracks, looking around for what he had nearly tripped over, which also stopped Drill Sergeant.

Spyro could see the string lead to an elaborate chain reaction, as other strings were cut, burned, and even disappeared as it led to the barrel that was still hovering over Terrafin. Drill Sergeant noticed it way before Terrafin, and his programming got the better of him.

"Savior-Terrafin!" Drill Sergeant warned, "Danger above you!"

Drill made to push him out of the way, but Terrafin jumped away before he could, so Drill simply rushed past the targeted area. The trap was still taking it's time to spring, as Spyro watched with light interest.

At the worst possible time, Eon was walking out of his tower, completely unaware of the water hanging above.

"Ah, Spyro. I just wanted to tell you-"

"Master Eon!" Spyro yelled, "Watch out!"

Spyro's cry was useless, however, as the strings had finally reached the barrel full of water, which tipped and let the liquid cascade out onto Eon. Spyro, Drill, and Terrafin could only stare with shocked expressions, and Eon did not seem to react to the water splash over him.

When the trap had ended, a few awkward seconds passed. Spyro was still completely baffled as to who would do such a strange and intricate ambush like that. Though one name did seem the most likely...

"Ha!" Trigger Happy exclaimed, popping out of the ground. "I've got you..."

He trailed off when he saw the recipient of his prank was Master Eon himself. At that, more seconds went by with no one doing a thing. Then Trigg slowly slicked back into the hole, saying, "Terrafin did it."

"Say what!?" Terrafin questioned in bewilderment, and Spyro had to suppress a laugh at the situation as a whole. Looking at Eon's expression, however, instantly snapped Spyro out of his snickering, and he became nervous at what Eon would do. He seemed to be suppressing anger, if his agitated face was anything to go off.

The last time they had made him close to angry was with the whole Malefor fiasco. At that time, Eon had brushed away his temper because of the success against Malefor. Presently, that was not the case. Spyro hoped that he wouldn't be _too _mad.

Before he spoke, Eon took a deep breaths, and gave a smile. It wasn't one of those understanding ones, but a rather sly and devious smile. What was running through that brilliant head of his?

"Oh, you like to play pranks, hmm?" he asked, with a knowing look. Terrafin looked to Drill Sergeant, not sure if the question was rhetorical or not. Drill Sergeant, being the robot he is, responded to it.

"No, Portal Master-Eon, I do not like to play pranks," he answered, his gaze not leaving Eon's.

"There is a Shade Alarm at Radiant Jungle, and I want you three to head there right away," Eon announced to the group, ignoring Drill's response. The three glanced at one another with confusion, but only Spyro voiced his concerns.

"Is, uh, that a joke, Master Eon?" he inquired, with an innocent face.

This time it was Eon's turn to be confused, "Of course not, why did you think I was joking?"

Spyro gave a nervous chuckle, "No reason."

"Unit Drill Sergeant ready for duty, Portal Master-Eon," Drill exclaimed enthusiastically, saluting with one of his drills. Terrafin, on the other hand, looked worried.

"Wait," he expressed while pushing his hands in a halting manner. "I have to go on a mission with _him_?"

He finished by pointing at Drill Sergeant, which Eon answered with a nod. Terrafin groaned, slapping his hands against his forehead in exasperation. "Why does fate hate me so much?" he grumbled.

"Fate is illogical, Savior-Terrafin," argued Drill Sergeant, "A better explanation is punishment, or perhaps payback."

Spyro chuckled, "This will be interesting."

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Radiant Jungle was just as the title implies; a beautiful, flourishing thick forest, with a nearly never dry atmosphere. This is where the three Skylanders appeared in the signature white wispy smoke. They found themselves on the top of a cliff, and it allowed them to see the jungle in all of its glory with little obstruction.

Spyro walked up to the edge and peered down at the bottom. An unwelcoming amount of rocky spikes awaiting him below, prompting to him pull back from the ledge with a grimace. He definitely didn't want to drop down there.

"Analysis complete," Drill announced, and the other two looked at him expectantly. "Multiple life forms in immediate area, rare resources half a kilometer underground, and... an anomaly."

Spyro raised a brow, his curiosity growing, "What is it?"

"...unknown," Drill Sergeant replied grimly with a little more worry than Spyro would've liked. Terrafin rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in the process.

"Oh please," he said irritably, "You act like it might be a world-ending monster or something."

"Don't answer that," Spyro advised to Drill, who was about to speak. "Anyway, let's just start looking around. Maybe we can find the evil on foot."

"Didn't you say that's always how you do it?" Terrafin questioned with a hint of annoyance as the three walked into the jungle brush. Spyro opened his mouth to reply, but caught himself, and simply kept walking.

Terrafin took note of his environment; very thick and wet. Green was everywhere, with small brown patches of wood that was lucky to be noted. Other than that, nothing really stuck out, and by the sheer size of the island they saw at the cliff was enough to tell them that they were going to be here a while.

"There has to be a faster way," Terrafin complained as he trudged through the jungle, with Spyro leading and Drill right behind him.

"If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them," Spyro snapped back, his voice tainted with sarcasm.

"splitting up is an alternative," Drill advised.

Spyro sighed; the robot was right. To be honest, Spyro was hoping to avoid that tactic completely, based on previous experiences. It was the best option, and he couldn't wave it off. After all, he didn't want to be here all day looking for an evil that may have already left the island.

"Okay, okay," Spyro drawled, looking behind him with stern glare, "but don't get yourselves hurt."

"No problem," Terrafin agreed with a nod, but then analyzed Spyro's wording in his head. "Hold on, '_yourselves'_?"

"See you on the far side," Spyro commented with a smirk as he took off, soaring past the canopy of trees. Terrafin jaw dropped, disbelieving that Spyro would leave him with the last robot he would want to spend time with.

"Savior-Terrafin," Drill noted with a happy tone, most unusual for a robot, "We are searching for the malevolent beings together, correct?"

Terrafin growled at how his predicament was voiced by Drill. He was so going to get Spyro for this. In the meanwhile, he should just get this task done with and continue his avoidance of one particular Skylander.

He took a few steps forward, intending to do just that, but he noticed a piece of fruit just sitting there on his left. Terrafin's stomach moaned when he realized he hadn't eaten lunch yet that day. The fruit was glistening with water drops, and the sun made it shine out; it looked perfectly ripe.

Terrafin stared wistfully at the food, his tongue hanging out in anticipation. As if in a trance, he began to slowly shuffle over to it, his mouth salivating exponentially. Drill Sergeant was utterly baffled at his state, as he has never had the hunger urges before.

"Savior-Terrafin?" he inquired, following Terrafin's gaze to the fruit with wonder. His behavior was erratic right now, and it did not follow any of the known reactions to food in his database, yet here he was, observing this new demeanor.

The melon was almost beckoning Terrafin over, and he complied without aversion. When he stood in front of it, Terrafin hovered his hands over the fruit, ready to grasp it and gobble it down. But before he could even touch it, it blew up into a red and somewhat delicious explosion. The juicy goodness that made up the inside was all over Terrafin, whose expression was one of stunned silence, as he hasn't moved from his previous position.

"Ineffective explosion," mused Drill Sergeant, who rolled to Terrafin's side, examining the delectable destruction, "yet apparently tasty."

Terrafin's body began to shake, as his face was contorted with anger that was about to burst. "Savior-Terrafin?" Drill inquired quizzically, "Do you need your sweater?"

"No!" Terrafin screamed, "Who did that?! Did you do that!? Of course you didn't!"

He began to march around, gritting his teeth while looking about for the troublemaker with a death wish. "Oh, just you wait 'till I get my hands on whoever did this."

"Savior-Terrafin?"

"What!?"

"I have found more food that is not a melon."

Instantly, Terrafin's mood swung to desire yet again, as Drill Sergeant pointed out a vine on the jungle floor that held many ripe vegetables. His eyes filled with his yearning to consume as he gazed upon the brightly-colored vegetables. "Come to papa!" he bellowed as he lunged for the food.

When he was just about to land on the vegetable, it blew up as well, in a firecracker fashion, sending Terrafin tumbling over to another vegetable with the same results.

He seemed to bounce around as he landed on vegetable after exploding vegetable with no sign of stopping. Drill Sergeant would've leapt in to save his savior, but something kept him nailed to the stop. Not physically, but just a weird feeling inside of him sort of... liked it. His processors did little to assist his flustered condition, and yet, after scanning himself, there was no eternal malfunction. Most peculiar.

At last, Terrafin had broken away from the minefield of vegetables, and collapsed in front of Drill Sergeant, who still stood silent in stupor. "Thanks for the help," Terrafin muttered hotly, standing back up with more than a few bruises.

"I apologize, Savior-Terrafin," Drill replied with hesitance, "Something had come over me. I am running diagnostics, but it is inconclusive."

"I think it was your sense of humor, buddy," Terrafin griped as he brushed away the food on him the best he could.

"Sense of... humor..." Drill murmured to himself, and was too quiet for Terrafin to catch.

"I don't know about you," Terrafin said as he looked around rapidly, "But I'm going to take out the guy who thought this was funny."

With that said, he took off down an open path, his mind set on finding this one particular person. Drill Sergeant followed, not one to be left behind, though his sensors had picked up on what the anomaly from earlier was.

A very unique creature.

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Spyro wasn't having much luck, and he wasn't sure if he should be glad or worried because of it. His scouring for the evil in Radiant Jungle proved uneventful, and it felt like a huge waste of time. There was no indication of anything that was evil, or in fact, anything that was _capable_ of evil.

Sighing, Spyro made a loop in flight, and headed for the last known location of Terrafin and Drill Sergeant. Perhaps they've had better fortune in their search. As he made his way back, he glanced down below, watching as the scenery moved as fast as he did. That was when his eyes caught sight of movement.

Now, most would assume that it was an animal, or something of the sort. But Spyro was different, and a tad more curious for his own good. An eyebrow raised, Spyro flew down to the ground, easily sliding through the tree canopy. Landing accordingly, he gazed around, but did not see anything out of the ordinary.

'A trick of the eye, I guess,' Spyro thought glumly, hopeful for at least a little excitement. He spread his wings to take off, but stopped himself when he heard what sounded like snickering. It was rather faint, but it was there, and Spyro could tell it was trying to be covered up.

Spyro lowered his body to the ground, trying to be as stealthy as he could be. Some of his training was spent with Stealth Elf in being sneaky. He may not be good as the Elf herself, but it was enough to get by when the need arises. He cautiously moved through the foliage, careful not to move the bushes to much to give himself away.

When he poked his head out of one particular bush, he found a strange creature with his back turned, who, in turn, was looking out another bush. He was covered in green, with yellow horns littered on his head, and red paws. What was most bizarre was that the creature was made up of leaves and other green life. What was this strange new creature?

A yelp of surprise from on unknown location and source shook Spyro out of his thoughts as the creature snickered again, one paw covering his mouth. Spyro tilted his head to the side; What was this creature doing any how? And what was so funny? Spyro knew that the only way to get answers was to reveal himself, and that's exactly what he did.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Spyro asked with a hint of a smile creeping onto his face. The character jumped in startlement, but did not utter a sound when he whirled his head in Spyro's direction, showing his intense red eyes.

"Keep it down, will ya?" The figure whispered desperately, "Don't blow my cover."

Spyro walked over to him, his stare not going unnoticed. "You know it's impolite to stare," the creature reminded with an annoyed look.

"Uh, sorry," Spyro quickly apologized, keeping his voice down, "So, who are you?"

"Camo," the creature quickly answered, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."

"Name's Spyro... Like what?" Spyro asked kindly, walking to Camo's side.

"Just pranking two chumps," Camo explained indifferently, "Or I guess one chump, since he's the only one setting off my pranks."

Spyro peered into the bush that Camo was looking through, "Who could-?" He stopped himself when he saw exactly who Camo was talking about. He suppressed a groan, but couldn't stop his face palm.

Terrafin was covered from head to toe in red melon juice. His walking style hinted that he had been hit repeatedly in varying places, as he stumbled around stupidly. Drill followed behind reluctantly, giving any nearby fruit a wide berth.

Terrafin saw another piece of fruit, and halted in his tracks, eyeing the melon suspiciously. He walked slowly over to it, his eyes narrowed in doubt, and tapped the fruit. It did nothing at all, and reassured, Terrafin threw caution in the wind and made to grab it. He would have succeeded, if it were not for the fruit spontaneously exploding, throwing Terrafin to the ground.

Camo broke out into another wave of snickering, and Spyro couldn't help give a smile of his own at Terrafin's dismay. "What is causing the fruit to blow up like that?" he asked his new-found friend.

"It's my special talent, you can say," Camo expressed, looking over to Spyro with a grin. "I grew up in the roots of the Tree of Life. So I can ripen food on a whim, but the catch is that they explode when I tell 'em to."

"The Tree of Life?" Spyro questioned with confusion.

Camo shook his head, his smile never wavering, "Let's just say it's a magical tree and leave it like that. Anyway, I left my home to go exploring and found this great island. Needless to say, I love pranking people with my powers. The animals are fun practice, but the real reward is actual people."

"Huh," Spyro grunted; he never thought he would meet someone with strange powers, or interests, like him. But, then again, all the Skylanders were pretty weird to begin with. "So... are you part dragon or something? Because you look like one."

Camo gave an affirmative nod, "Yep, I'm a hybrid: half plant, half dragon, all awesome. I'm sure you've never seen a dragon like me before."

Spyro gave a knowing grin, "Actually, I have, two in fact."

Instead of an irritated expression, Camo was in awe of the new knowledge, "There are other hybrids out there. That's amazing! And here I thought I was the only one!"

Camo's gaze fell back to the scene with Drill and Terrafin as they continued to stagger their way through the jungle. Then, Camo's face fell to one of confusion, and even worry.

"Wait..." he murmured, squinting his eyes at an odd pile of leaves. "I didn't put those leaves there."

Spyro saw what Camo was indicating, but still had a smile on his muzzle, "It's just leaves, I'm sure it's from the wind or something."

Camo swiveled his head at Spyro, his expression showed that he was very troubled. "There is no wind in this part of Skylands," he hissed, "No leaves ever fall around here!"

Spyro, finally grasping his meaning, turned back to the bundle of leaves, which is where Terrafin was heading directly for. Before Spyro could say a word of warning, Terrafin stepping into the pile of leaves, and a looped vine grappled Terrafin's ankle, and dragged him into the air, upside down.

"What the heck!?" he yelled out, flailing his arms out uselessly. "I swear I'm going to teach this guy a lesson if he doesn't put me down in five seconds!"

"Savior-Terrafin!" Drill Sergeant exclaimed, hopping up and down in hopes of saving Terrafin with no reward for his efforts.

"Ha! Finally caught the booger " exclaimed a new voice somewhere in the brush. A troll stepped out, holding a large rifle in his hand. On his head was a Slouch hat, with one side folded up toward the center.

"Who in Skylands are you!?" Terrafin shouted, glaring at the newcomer; Drill ignored him, still trying to reach his friend. The troll gaped at Terrafin and pointed a finger at him.

"Who in Skylands are _you_!?"

"I asked first!"

"I asked second!"

"Well I'm the one who's stuck!"

The troll rubbed his chin, "Good point, I'm Delfino. And I'm hunting the legendary hybrid that is in these parts. Ever heard of him, mate?"

"A hybrid? Here? Nope. But that would explain all the traps I set off."

Delfino's interest suddenly peaked, "What traps?"

Terrafin noticed his sudden interest, and shrugged, "The ones you set."

"This was the only trap I set..." Delfino said dangerously, looking around with a keen eye.

Spyro could tell that Camo was growing nervous, whether because of this hunter that was after him, or that someone was in trouble. "So..." Terrafin said, "Are you going to cut me down?"

"Hmm, no, you'd probably get in my way," Delfino decided, aiming his weapon at Terrafin. Seeing the display, he began to swing his arms wildly again, attempting to have his fists connect with the hunter in some way.

"Why I oughta..." he growled furiously.

Drill, seeing that Terrafin was in danger, rolled himself in front of Delfino. "Enemy known as 'Delfino' will not harm Savior-Terrafin," he declared.

"Oh, how scary, a teeny-tiny robot," Delfino mocked without remorse, glaring at Drill Sergeant distantly, "What are you going to do? Drill me to death? I don't think so."

"Then try this on for size!" Spyro shouted as he charged out of his hiding place, surprising everyone in the area. He took advantage of this and slammed his head into Delfino's chest. This sent him sprawling to the ground, the wind knocked out of him.

"Drill," Spyro ordered, swiveling his head over to him with determination, "Get Terrafin down from there, I'll deal with this guy."

Drill acknowledged this by simply going over to Terrafin, and Spyro turned his attention back to Delfino, just in time to duck as a projectile whizzed over his head. "Hold still would ya, I don't have infinite ammunition!" Delfino whined, loading in another shot.

Spyro knew he had to buy time for Drill to get Terrafin down, and the best way to do that was to get Delfino away from them. But how was he going to do that? Delfino aimed his gun, ready to fire again, but Spyro saw a melon suddenly sprout behind him. In only a second, the melon was fully ripened and it burst, and Delfino tumbled forward from the shock.

He whipped his head around and there stood Camo, with one large grin, and took off into the thick jungle. "You get back here, you hybrid!" yelled Delfino, and he broke off from the opening and chased Camo.

Spyro was somewhat astonished that Camo had put his life on the line to help his friends, and he had to return the favor. Without hesitation, Spyro took to the air, bent on helping his new friend. While he was high above the ground, Spyro snapped his head in different directions, searching feverishly for the two.

His eyes landed on the cliff where he and his friends had arrived, and saw the two in a stand off. Camo had his back to the ledge, his legs extremely close to slipping off. Delfino seemed to have the upper hand here.

Quickly, Spyro dipped toward the ground and landed in between them, facing Delfino as he bared his teeth and got ready for a fight. Delfino did not flinch from his sudden appearance, but Camo tilted his head to the side, not expecting to see Spyro abruptly.

"Hmm, this hunt might be better than I thought," Delfino commented with a scary smile.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Would you hurry up already!" Terrafin scolded, crossing his arms with a huff. Drill was not having any success with the situation, as he couldn't calculate how to get him down. Terrafin was strung onto a vine that was attached to one of the tree's branches.

Drill then came up with one possible solution, and it seemed to be the only one as well. Drill aimed one of his drills at the vine above Terrafin, who gazed at Drill, puzzled.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Terrafin inquired, annoyed, "Pointing? I know I'm up here but-"

He was silenced when the drill expectantly shot out of Drill Sergeant's hold, heading straight for the vine. With slight resistance, the drill cut through the vine, and Terrafin fell back to the ground face first. He groaned as he laid there in the grass, dazed from not only the impact, but how Drill had done that in the first place.

He rose with a grunt, massaging his aching head. "What just..." he mumbled, slurring his words. "I don't even..."

"My servitude is complete, sir," Drill told with his usual robot voice, yet it somehow felt heavy. Still, the sentence was like a slap to the face as Terrafin gawked at Drill Sergeant in disbelief. He also saw that the drill was back on Drill Sergeant's respectful place, some how.

"I'm... free? You aren't my servant anymore?" he whispered in wonder.

"Affirmative," Drill confirmed, "You simply needed to accept any of my offers of help, and it would've been terminated."

"That's all I had to do!?" Terrafin bellowed, his eyes wide.

"Affirmative, sir," Drill replied without a change of voice.

"So, now you just call everybody sir?" Terrafin asked, slumping his shoulders.

"Affirmative."

"Well that's going to get old fast," Terrafin grumbled, rolling his eyes as he stood up straight again. "Anyway, let's roll, Drill. We have some friends to help out."

"Undoubtfully, sir!" Drill Sergeant practically cheered, sounding much happier for some reason. But what ever that reason was, Terrafin couldn't help but smile; He could finally be treated as an equal with Drill Sergeant.

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Spyro jumped around in random directions, narrowly avoiding the projectiles each time. Then Delfino's gun jammed, and he cursed his luck when it did as he beat the rifle with his hand to use the gun again. With the distraction, Spyro breathed a barrage of fire at him, but Delfino simply jumped back, making the attack null.

A faint ping resonated from his gun, as a bullet case jumped out. Delfino grunted in pleasure, and aimed again, but Camo used his sun burst breath to singe the Troll's chest. Delfino growled, agitated that he wasn't getting off any attacks, and aimed and fired at Camo.

He jumped back to get more distance between him and Delfino, and was able to avoid the bullet, but did not realize how close he was to the cliff edge. He began to slide down, but thankfully his front paws latched onto the rock. Camo grunted as he tried to pull himself up, but lacked the body strength to do so, as his body dangled percariously over the ledge.

"Camo!" Spyro cried out, gazing in distress in Camo's direction, but didn't realize that Delfino had swiftly made his way over to him, and butted him with his rifle in the face, Spyro jerked back from the sudden pain, and his sight became blurred.

"Now, to get my reward," Delfino announced with a sneer, slowly walking over to Camo.

"Think fast, sucka!" Terrafin shouted excitedly as he burst from the foliage, punching Delfino in the back of the head, sending him face first in the dirt. "_That_ was for trapping me!"

Delfino made to get up, and it brought an idea to Terrafin. He dived into the earth, moving right underneath Delfino's jaw. Then, in one solid push, Terrafin jumped out from the ground, giving Delfino one huge uppercut. This, strangely, sent Delfino flying through the air, slowly becoming a speck in the sky.

"Delfino is blasting off again!" he shouted, until the speck became a bright twinkle, lost in the endless sea of blue.

"Most effective," grinned Terrafin as he brushed his hands.

"I'm slipping!" Camo shouted out in fright, and he was right; His claws were beginning to drag through the dirt. At that moment, Drill Sergeant rushed out of the jungle line, and reached him just in time. Camo clutched the Drill that the robot had given, and Drill Sergeant backed up slowly, allowing Camo to catch his footing again.

"Whew," he exhaled, wiping sweat from his forehead, "thanks."

"It is no trouble, sir," Drill explained, in a monotone voice.

Camo looked confused, "Sir?"

Spyro, after his vision returned, shuffled over to his friends. "You alright, Camo?" he asked with concern etched onto his face.

Camo chuckled, "I should be asking _you_ that."

Spyro smiled, and nodded. Now that he thought about it, Camo was a rather good fighter, and a hybrid. He would fit right in at the Ruins. "Ever consider being a Skylander?"

Camo twitched subtly, not ever thinking he could become an elite such as that. "But I'm a prankster," he defended half-heartedly.

Spyro laughed, "I don't care. We have weirder people than you, trust me."

"Wait," Camo said with amazement, "There is more of you?"

Spyro nodded, and Camo quivered with suppressed excitement, "More people to pull pranks on!"

"It was _you_!" Terrafin accused, pointing a finger at Camo, "You used those exploding fruits and vegetables!"

Spyro shook his head in exasperation, and knew he had to do something quickly. "Take us home, Eon!" he laughed, just as Terrafin was about to jump at Camo, with Drill silently chuckling. Terrafin was right; he did have a sense of humor.

When the scenery formed into the familiar Ruins, Terrafin was hovering in mid-air, until gravity took hold and he fell back to the ground. Everyone laughed, even Drill Sergeant, though no one noticed. Eon walked up to them as they all climbed off of the Portal of Power, his gaze showed one of amusement.

Camo's eyes widened in recognition, "Hey, I pranked you two days ago."

Everyone was shocked by this, and they gave Eon a stern glare as he chuckled heartily. "I see I've been caught," he said the obvious.

"Do you know how many fruits have exploded around me!?" Terrafin questioned, though Eon knew he wasn't truly mad.

"Of course, I was in that very same jungle. Which I thought was a fitting punishment for the water barrel incident," Eon explained with a playful look.

"But Trigger Happy-"

"I know, I know," Eon chuckled, waving his hand, "But I thought it would be funny."

"You got that right," Camo laughed.

"I'm glad you joined us..." Eon trailed off, hoping Camo could fill in the gap.

"Camo, sir," he responded with a smile. Eon gave a nod, and was about to begin the initiation to becoming a Skylander. However, Drill Sergeant politely interrupted, saying he had an announcement.

"I am no longer serving Terrafin," he told the group, but the only one truly stunned was Spyro himself.

"Since when?" he asked in disbelief; Could it have been during their quest in the jungle? And why was he no longer using the titles he had given them?

"Since I freed Terrafin from the trap," Drill explained, and Spyro couldn't believe it was that simple. So simple that he had to laugh, at Terrafin's agitation.

Spyro concluded in his head that Drill was over the title naming because of that fact. It saddened Spyro slightly; He had enjoyed being called 'Leader-Spyro', and even the other Skylanders names, like 'Fish-Gill Grunt' or 'Random-Trigger Happy'. At least Terrafin got his wish to not have a servant.

* * *

**Alright, so a lot of you have been requesting Pop Fizz, but here's the thing: I was trying to keep this story as cannon as possible with the games, which explains the closeness to the back stories. But do you guys care if this isn't exactly cannon? Would you mind having any other Giant's characters in before the first game comes into play? I must know for future chapters!**


	16. Chapter 16: Ride the Lightning

**Want a reason why this is late? Graduation and your high ****expectancy. But this chapter is longer than any I have typed before, so I hope you're comfy!**

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 16: Ride the Lightning**

Weapons were always widely used by the Skylanders. One might prefer two short daggers, while another would want a basic sword and shield. Whatever it was, the weapon always distinguishes the Skylander, making the Skylander unique in more ways than one.

This is what Gill Grunt and Flameslinger were discussing while resting under a tree in the fields. Though the topic was, at first, about their favorite foods, they spoke enthusiastically about the ways of keeping the peace in Skylands.

"Nothing can beat ranged combat, dude," Flameslinger announced lazily as he sat on the ground, leaning against the tree trunk with his hands behind his head.

"Totally," Gill Grunt agreed, his eyes half closed in relaxation, sitting in the same position as Flameslinger.

"I shoot fire arrows with speed and precision," Flameslinger began.

"And I shoot harpoons with force and precision," Gill Grunt finished.

A thought struck Flameslinger, and he tilted his head to the side in wonder, "You know, we're supposed to be opposites in terms of element."

Gill Grunt nodded, "That's true. What's your point?"

Flameslinger sat in silence for a second, then visibly softened. "I don't know," he yawned.

"I think we deserve a vacation," Gill Grunt stated, looking over to his friend.

"I completely agree with you," Flameslinger said, doing the same as Gill Grunt.

At that moment, a muffled slap could be heard, and Stealth Elf appeared out of nowhere in front of the two other Skylanders. She was clutching her head with one of her hands, as if she had face palmed.

"You guys are so unbelievable " she groaned, her hand sliding off her face; an angry glare was what she was giving them. "You hardly go on missions, and you both expect to get a vacation? This isn't a five-star resort, if you haven't noticed."

Flameslinger raised a brow irritably, but then grew a sly smile. "How long, exactly, have you been watching?" he asked coyly.

Stealth Elf flinched involuntarily realizing that Flameslinger had figured her out. As she blushed, she tried to cover it up, facing away from the two resting Skylanders. "D-Don't change the subject!" she stammered. "This isn't about me, this is about your lazy butts!"

Sighing, Gill Grunt got to his feet, rubbing the soreness out of his neck, "Come on, Stealth Elf, we haven't had a break for a while now."

"What about the time when we visited my island home?" Stealth Elf reminded, focusing on Gill Grunt, regaining her composure.

"That was two weeks ago," Gill Grunt said annoyingly, "and that's your idea of a vacation?"

Flameslinger also stood up, crossing his arms with defiance. Stealth Elf rolled her eyes, "Even so, it's not like you two work as hard as, say, me."

Gill Grunt scoffed, "We work twice as hard as you!"

"Really?" Stealth Elf inquired with a disbelieving posture, "What was the last time either of you actually did something to benefit Skylands?"

Gill Grunt made to say something, lifting a finger in a superior way, but froze on the spot. Motioning for Flameslinger to come closer, the two huddled together, exchanging examples in hurried whispers of their assistance to Skylands.

'Oh brother,' Stealth Elf thought, shaking her head in doubt, 'I'll be here all day.'

A few minutes passed with little evidence to say that Gill Grunt and Flameslinger were close to wrapping up. Eventually, they broke apart, giving confident grins towards Stealth Elf.

Gill Grunt stepped forward, and cleared his throat. He took in a lungful of air, and said, "We made sandwiches three days ago."

"And how exactly does that help Skylands?" Stealth Elf asked expectantly, resisting the urge to display her irritation.

Flameslinger stepped up to Stealth Elf until they were only two feet apart from each other, and he still held that assured smile. "Let's put it like this," Flameslinger explained, "We made sandwiches, which gave the Skylanders strength, which, in turn, helped Skylands. Boom!"

Gill Grunt rubbed his chin thoughtfully, mumbling, "I feel like you just copied someone."

"Ah, who cares?" Flameslinger exclaimed, "Let's just find Spyro and request a vacation already."

"You two don't actually believe that counts, do you?" Stealth Elf questioned, putting her hands on her hips disapprovingly.

Flameslinger and Gill Grunt glanced at each other with no emotion, then faced Stealth Elf again. "Yeah," they said simultaneously, causing Stealth Elf to face palm again.

"I'll go look for Spyro," Gill Grunt explained, "You stay here with... the workaholic."

Before Stealth Elf could return a retort to his statement, Gill Grunt used his water jet pack to fly away, leaving the two to just stand there in an awkward silence. Stealth Elf suddenly found out that she was alone with Flameslinger, and had his critical eyes that were behind his blindfold boring into her.

She gave another faint blush, and turned away from his gaze. She didn't know why, but recently, she's been having these strange embarrassing moments when around Flameslinger. Her training with her master, Silva, never taught her how to cope with these situations. In fact, she doesn't recall her master even bringing it up. She just hoped she could control these wild unexplained occurrences some time down the line.

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Spyro took a deep breath, and released it slowly in a calm manner. He was balancing on a single hind leg upright, with eyes closed and wings extended, concentrating on his control over the Darkness within him. He placed himself in front of the Core of Light, thinking it would help in his training. It has been weeks since his other side came out, but he still trains diligently in hopes to preventing a reoccurring event.

Though Spyro would have said luck was on his side, Eon would say it was his dedication to the task to keep his alter ego in check. Every day, or anytime he got the chance, Spyro would go through meditation to clear his mind and allow his light side to remain the center of his soul.

Little did he know that a green vine was carefully slithering through the grass, using the light foliage to its advantage. It stopped abruptly when it was placed in front of Spyro, and a melon began to grow from the vine. As soon as it was ripened, the melon swayed slightly in its hold and exploded.

Startled, Spyro's eyes shot open as red juicy liquid splashed onto his scales and he fell on his back with a yelp. He took a few quick breaths to calm his nerves, attempting to comprehend what had happened. A burst of laughter rang out, causing Spyro to narrow his eyes threateningly. "Camo," Spyro assumed darkly.

Spyro rolled over to his paws, and examined himself. With a growl, Spyro knew he would have to clean his scales vigorously to get the sticky substance out. However, that wasn't important right now. What _was_ important was finding a certain Skylander, and extracting his revenge.

Searching for the Skylander wasn't needed, as Camo was rolling around a few meters away, laughing like there was no tomorrow. Spyro walked over to his prone form, giving an accusing stare. It took several seconds for Camo to come back to comprehensible speech.

"Oh ancestors," he wheezed, "That was... that was..."

Camo looked up at Spyro, and broke down to hysterical laughing yet again. Spyro waited impatiently for Camo to ease his comedic episode, and he did in time, though the occasional snicker was able to get out.

"Sorry... Spyro," Camo apologized with a wide grin, but by just looking at him, Spyro knew he didn't really mean it, "You were just there and so, so easy to prank. I couldn't resist!"

This wasn't the first time Camo had pranked Spyro. Actually, Camo had pranked him nearly every day, except for Sundays, because Camo was nice like that. Spyro had made to catch him in the act, but failed every time; Camo was a professional prankster after all.

"Look," Spyro confined sternly, "There's a reason I'm doing these exercises."

Camo looked at the sky, tapping his chin with a claw, "To... win the dragoness' over?"

Spyro was able to suppress a blush, but not a groan. "No," he said in exasperation, "I do it to-"

"Spyro!" someone shouted from above, "I have a request!"

Facing skyward, Spyro sighted Gill Grunt descending over to his position using his water jet packs. He landed to the side of Camo, who was giving Gill Grunt a perplexed expression.

"And what would that be?" Spyro inquired, not looking forward to what he would say.

"A vacation," Gill Grunt told, "and before you say no-"

"Okay."

"Consider the-" Gill Grunt registered what Spyro had said, his eyes widening in surprise, "Wait, we can go on a vacation?"

"Yeah," Spyro shrugged, as if it was obvious, "The last time we went on a vacation was at Flower Forest, and that was two weeks ago. Plus... it really wasn't an official vacation."

Gill Grunt's surprise shifted to happiness, and he threw his arms into the air, still grasping his harpoon gun. "Alright!" he cheered, "Let's round up the crew and meet back at the meadow!"

With that said, Gill Grunt zipped off on the ground, forgetting that he had a capable jet back equipped. Camo watched him go until he was out of sight, as did Spyro. Then Camo turned back to Spyro, still feeling confused, "So, where are we going?"

Spyro shook his head, "I don't know, just head to the meadows and I'll get everyone else who wants to come along. I doubt Gill would help me at all."

Camo laughed, "That's true. But... you might want to wash yourself first."

Spyro peered downwards, and was reminded of the red mess that still covered his front. Before he could berate Camo for the previous exploit, he had taken off, giggling all the way. Spyro sighed, and wondered why Gill Grunt did not point it out; perhaps it would be best if Spyro washed before he talked to anybody.

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After cleaning himself off, Spyro had gone and discussed the idea of going on a vacation with Drobot and Drill Sergeant. However, they both declined the offer, stating that Drobot wanted to study Drill Sergeant. Spyro explained that it _was_ optional, and right when he had told them this, they both went back to work.

A lot of the other Skylanders were away on missions. Chop Chop, Sonic Boom, and Terrafin were checking out a disturbance on an unknown island. Trigger Happy, Sunburn, and Bash were also away, protecting a politician. He spotted Stealth Elf and Flameslinger by a tree, just standing there. They already knew about the possible vacation, so that only left Whirlwind and Cynder.

Since he had recruited Chop Chop, Spyro had been avoiding Whirlwind and Cynder. His mind was still blown that they both love him, and he wasn't even sure nowadays how to behave around them. Love was still foreign to him, and he's been either too busy or too afraid to ask anybody for assistance on the matter.

Now, however, he had to speak with them about taking a short vacation. Maybe he can pretend they didn't want to go? No, that wouldn't be fair to them at all. So reluctantly, he flew around the island, searching for them.

He had made multiple turns and fly overs so far with no luck. And just when he was about to look inside the buildings, he spotted them on top of Eon Tower, talking with each other. How he had missed them before was a mystery; perhaps the two had flown on top after he had passed by. Regardless, the mere sight of them made Spyro's heart do a flip.

'Just play it cool,' Spyro prepped himself in his mind, 'Don't take favorites and stick with the subject.'

Spyro took a deep breath and flew over to their position. His wing beats quickly gained the attention of the two dragoness', as they broke off from their conversation and looked over to Spyro with their eyes filled with bewilderment. The two stepped back a few feet to allow Spyro to land, and when he did, he could tell that they were waiting for him to speak.

"I... Gill... going... vacation," he sputtered stupidly. He would've said something a little clearer, but his voice was stuck in his throat; it was lucky he said anything at all.

"Excuse me?" Whirlwind asked with concerning tone, tilting her head to the side. Spyro took a breath, trying hard not to show his nervousness.

"Gill wants to go on a vacation," Spyro explained slowly and carefully, "Do you guys want to come along?"

"Sure, that'd be great!" Whirlwind expressed, showing a kind smile. Cynder nodded in agreement, smiling as well. Spyro gave a sheepish grin, feeling the awkwardness set in. What was he supposed to do now?

"Oh!" he suddenly remembered, "We're going to group up at the meadow. So I guess I'll see you there."

Before they could give him an answer, Spyro dived down the tower, and spread his wings, gliding toward the meadow, where some of the other Skylanders were waiting.

"Does he seem a little high strung?" Cynder asked, looking over to Whirlwind with confusion.

"Just a little," Whirlwind answered with a raised brow. They both took flight for the meadow, thinking to themselves what could have Spyro so frantic.

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Choosing a destination to head to wasn't as hard as Spyro had predicted. A unanimous agreement was set for someplace warm, and with water. The only island that was close by with that description was Crabby Beach, so they all decided to head there. How they would get there, however, was the challenge.

Disturbing Master Eon to have him set coordinates was the first option, but it was pushed away when Camo brought up he had pranked him the other day. It was probably for the best that they leave him alone for now. The next best option was to simply fly there, but some of the Skylanders couldn't fly, and the ones who could did not want to have to carry them the whole way.

Flameslinger, in some bizarre way, was the one to bring up air ships. It was the certainly the perfect way to get to Crabby Beach, but it wasn't like they had an extra one lying around. Again, Flameslinger had another brilliant idea. He suggested calling Flynn the Balloonist to aid them.

One thing lead to another, and the seven Skylanders were nearing Crabby Beach. When the hot air balloon landed, the Skylanders rushed out, eager to see the new land in which they have decided to lounge at. Flynn was the only one who stayed on the hot air balloon, and it wasn't because he's afraid of sand.

"So... who's paying me?" he inquired bluntly, in which everyone turned and gave him a dirty look. He waved his hands in front of himself, "It ain't cheap to fly this baby all over Skylands, y'know?"

Spyro sighed, "Alright... Flameslinger, pay him."

Flameslinger gazed at Spyro in disbelief, his whole frame shaken from his name being called out. "Why me?" he asked desperately, pointing to himself.

Spyro gave a knowing grin, and stated, "You _were_ the one who thought of Flynn to take us here. It would only be right if you paid him."

Flameslinger gave a dramatic groan, and shambled on over to Flynn to work out the payment. In the meantime, Spyro took another look at his surroundings. Crabby Beach was somewhat small, with a body of water taking up most of the beach front. Opposite of the sea, a cliff side could be seen that separated the beach from the rest of the island. It was a nice secluded area.

At last, Spyro could see Flynn flying off to who knows where, waving at them from his hot air ship. Flameslinger dejectedly trudged over to Spyro, his head hung low. When he was close enough, he faced Spyro and said, "You owe me fifty gold."

While these events were taking place, the other Skylanders had gone ahead and started the fun. Cynder took to sun bathing on the warm sand; The weather here was a lot hotter than in the Ruins. Gill Grunt was building a sand castle, which, to everyone else, didn't even look like a capable structure. As for Camo and Whirlwind, they both had ran into the water to play in the waves. Though they weren't Water element Skylanders, that doesn't mean they can't have fun in water.

Flameslinger ran over to Stealth Elf, who was tossing a white ball to herself. "Hey, Stealth Elf! What to play a round of Skyball?"

Stealth Elf put one hand on her hip, while the other held the ball aloft. "Do you even know how to play?" she asked with a tinge of sarcasm.

"Not a clue," Flameslinger admitted, shrugging his shoulders, causing Stealth Elf to simply stare at him with narrowed eyes.

Spyro wasn't sure what to do; it wasn't that he was afraid of picking between friends, but what would be the first thing to do on a beautiful beach like this. In the end, he joined Camo and Whirlwind in the water.

As soon as he breached the water, however, a tidal wave began to form and surge towards the beach with high speed. The sound was enough for everyone to gawk at it, and instead of feeling fear or horror about the oncoming wave, like his teammates, Spyro felt anger welling up inside him.

"Just once!" he hissed through his teeth, "I would like to go somewhere and not be attacked!"

And with that thought running through his mind, the wave came crashing down on top of the beach, sending the Skylanders every which way. When the wave receded, the Skylanders were strung around like ornaments around the beach. Gill Grunt was the first to stand up, but when he saw his destroyed sand castle, if you want to call it that, he instantly fell back down on the sand in exasperation.

"That was awesome!" Flameslinger shouted in awe, as he was waist deep in sand.

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" Stealth Elf said with a sigh as she remained laying nearby.

Cynder raised herself, tuning out the bickering between the two Elves. She shook herself from any stray water and sand, and searched the area for everyone. She furrowed her brow as she didn't see Spyro at all.

"Uh, guys?" Cynder called, gaining the attention of the other three Skylanders. "I think we're missing some friends."

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Camo stirred from his position on the sand, moving around to make sure he could feel his limbs. His eyes slowly opened, and he saw the brilliant blue sky above him. As he pushed himself up to stand, he looked around the area with a mixture of apprehension and confusion.

"Where the heck am I?" Camo asked himself, "Where's everyone else?"

A muffled shouting was what answered him, causing Camo to cock an eyebrow and stroll a bit further down the beach. When he passed a large boulder, his eyes landed on Spyro, with his head stuck in the sand. His distressed and muffled yells along with his legs pushing against the sand told Camo he should probably help Spyro out.

Camo trotted over, grasped Spyro's tail the best he could with his paws, and pulled with all his might. He grunted as he tugged, he eyes tightly shut, and soon Spyro's head popped out of the ground. Camo took a breather, while Spyro spit out the sand that got into his mouth with disgust.

"Aw, that was not enjoyable," Spyro announced with a tired expression.

"Yeah," Camo agreed, nodding for emphasis.

"So now where are we?" Spyro asked, observing his surroundings.

"I have no idea," Camo stated, "The best I can tell is that we're on a separate island."

"An island on an island, huh?" Spyro summed up standing up with peaked interest.

"Island-ception," Camo agreed, suppressing a snicker.

"Right, whatever," Spyro rolled his eyes. He would have rebuked Camo for the insignificant remark, but his anxiety was growing as his head swiveled every which way. "Do you think Whirlwind is on this island?"

"Well," Camo pondered aloud, walking to Spyro's side, "considering she was with us in the water, and since we are on a different beach than the others, it's safe to assume that she is also on a different island."

Spyro stared at him with surprise, "That was... oddly professional."

Camo sighed, "Don't get used to it."

"Anyway, if we're here..." Spyro faced the sky with nervousness, "Then where's Whirlwind?"

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The first thing Whirlwind heard was the crashing of nearby waves and the creaking of wood. She felt heavy, probably from all the water on her. She also could hear hushed voices, but they were unrecognizable. Where was she?

She opened her eyes slowly, groaning as she did. She was met with a shocking sight. She was on the bow of a galleon ship, but that hardly mattered to her. What was important was the large number of Seadogs and Squidfaces that were all staring at her with wickedness.

Seadogs were like bipedal canines, with scary pointy teeth and treacherous eyes. Squidfaces are what one would expect, with tentacles for legs and arms, and a Kraken-like head. They all wore pirate gear, each with varying types of hats, shirts, and accessories. One pirate stood out from the rest, who was standing over Whirlwind. This pirate was a good head taller, sporting a black Tricorn hat. His right hand was replaced with a golden hook, and he wore a blue captain's jacket.

Whirlwind instinctively took a few steps back, her face contorted with slight fear. She may be a Skylander, but she was a support role at best. If she had friends by her side, or if she sees someone in danger, she will take action. But in this situation, she was alone in the middle of the sea with a bunch of pirates looming over her; she was dead frightened.

The tall pirate laughed at her nervous state. "Don't fret, lassie." he sneered, "Aye only be Captain Dreadbeard. Me mates and Aye saw ye adrift in the sea, and thought ye could use some help."

Whirlwind did not change from her anxious state, taking a couple more steps back. "W-What do you want?" she squeezed out.

Some of the pirates began to advance on her, but very slowly, so it did not agitate her further, though that did not matter to them. Dreadbeard laughed his pirate laugh again, and faced her, leaning in close to her. "Aye be only looking for treasure and gold, lassie," he explained with no hint of innocence. "If ye be important enough, than me mates and Aye will ransom ye over for a pint of gold. Just like with that mermaid a few weeks back."

The other pirates gave a cheer at the thought of the possibility of gold. Whirlwind was not liking the circumstances that she somehow got into. She wished that she could be anywhere but here, and shut her eyes repeating the wish over and over in her head.

"Watch out!" cried a different and distant voice. This one didn't sound like a pirate at all, but Whirlwind still didn't dare open her eyes. The pirates, however, looked over to the right just in time to see a creature slam into Dreadbeard, who stumbled back and fell flat on his back.

Rubbing his head with a low groan, there laid a blue dragon with no wings. His appearance would match one of amphibian origin, with his frog-like feet. Green fins were upon his head and lower back and tail. Curiously, he also wore a yellow harness with twin yellow tanks on his back. Dreadbeard pushed himself back up, his face failing to hide his anger and annoyance.

"And who would ye be?" he growled, swinging his hooked hand toward the stranger.

The stranger continued to rub his head, but tilted his head up at Dreadbeard with half closed eyes. "Next time, I have to recalculate those waves," he muttered to himself. He brought himself back to a standing position, and addressed the captain, "Name's Zap. And, uh... who are you?"

"Captain Dreadbeard," Dreadbeard introduced with a low and threatening tone. Zap either didn't pick it up or ignored it, but none the less smiled.

"Nice to meet you," he smiled, making some of the pirates stare at him incredulously. For Zap, he never really met a threat before, the ocean being quite peaceful and calm. The pirates didn't know this, but were still cautious none the less.

Thinking it was somewhat safe to view her surroundings again, Whirlwind opened her eyes slowly, and when she saw Zap she gave a sharp squeak, and jumped back slightly. Zap heard this and turned his head toward her curiously, an eyebrow raised. Whirlwind tried to make herself as small as possible, crouching down low to the floor.

Zap, meanwhile, was entranced, his jaw dropping. His heartbeat was rising, and he could feel himself getting hotter. His eyes drooped a bit, and he gave a small grin.

'Whoa,' Zap thought dreamily, 'She's pretty.'

"Scallywag!" Dreadbeard grumbled loudly to Zap, "Are ye paying attention to me?"

Shaking his head, Zap looked over irritably, getting slightly mad that he was interrupted in his daydream. "Now what do you want?" he asked hotly.

Dreadbeard rolled his eyes, "Aye want ye to leave this ship or ye will get what's coming to ye."

"And why is she here?" Zap inquired, nodding his head over to Whirlwind.

Dreadbeard chuckled darkly; it was a long, low chuckle, and it infected the crew as well, as they began to chuckle. With a long breath, Dreadbeard replied, "The lassie will be 'taken care of'. It ain't none of yer business."

Zap furrowed his brow, and bared his teeth. He wasn't liking how the pirates were acting one bit, and they way they spoke of Whirlwind made his blood boil.

"Oh really?" Zap said rhetorically, getting into a combat position. "And say, perhaps, someone was to get in your way?"

Whirlwind perked her head slightly to his tone and the way he was behaving toward the pirates. Maybe this one was going to help her, and if that was true, she didn't want someone to get hurt because of her.

"Wait," she spoke up, gaining the attention of everyone, forcing her to cower a little, "don't hurt yourself over me."

Zap couldn't help but think it was cute how she was worried about him. And it drove him to save her from his pirate ship in any way possible. "I can handle this," he assured her, "I'm not completely defenseless, you know. By the way, what's your name?"

"It's... Whirlwind," she said hesitantly. Zap nodded with a kind smile.

"That's a nice name," he mused, making Whirlwind cock her head to the side.

Before she could respond to his words, Whirlwind saw Zap whip his head back to Dreadbeard and released a quick spit of electricity straight towards him. Dreadbeard was shocked, literally and figuratively, and stumbled back again. The pirates didn't know what to do, as their captain was temporarily unable to speak.

With the confusion, Zap summoned a wave of water and rode it through the throng of pirates, knocking a lot of them down. The pirates finally took the initiative and wielded their swords, charging at Zap. Zap jumped back to give himself some space, and as quickly as he could, slid a border of sea slime between himself and the oncoming pirates.

The pirates ignored the sea slime, and ran right on top of it. As soon as they did, they were instantly stuck in the slime. As they struggled to free themselves with grunts of fury, Zap shot out another spit of electricity and electrified the slime. This electrocuted the pirates and incapacitated them, as they dropped to the floor.

However, Dreadbeard had recovered from Zap's earlier attack, and had withdrawn a sword in his left hand. Zap growled at the captain, getting ready for anything. With incredible speed, Dreadbeard jumped into the air, and swung downward at Zap.

Zap had narrowly dodged it by jumping to the side. By nearly being stuck down, Zap began to fear for his own life, as his wide eyes indicated. Dreadbeard noticed this, and gave a short chuckle, "Fearing fer yer own life now, eh? Don't worry, water dragon, I'll make it quick and painless. Then I'll make myself rich by selling the lassie."

At the mention of Whirlwind, Zap's courage returned with flare, and he began to shoot spits of electricity rapidly, hoping something would hit their mark. Dreadbeard, however, absorbed the shoots with his blades, and was able to discharge them effectively into the air. Zap, knowing that his electricity wouldn't work against him, summoned another wave of water and rode it towards Dreadbeard.

Dreadbeard saw this coming, unfortunately, and kicked Zap in the head, sending him flying a bit further down the ship. When he landed, he tumbled a few more feet before finally sliding to a halt on his stomach. Dazed, Zap tried to get back on his feet, but the pain in his head was incredible, forcing Zap to stay down.

Dreadbeard walked to him triumphantly, his head held high. "Now comes the main event," he shouted victoriously. When he stood over Zap, Dreadbeard brought his swords up, about to sink them into him. Zap still couldn't find the strength to get out of the way, his head spinning.

At that moment, a rainbow hit Dreadbeard in the back, causing him to fly over Zap and crash his head on the deck of the ship, knocking him out. Whirlwind watched him to make sure that he doesn't get up, and looked over to Zap sympathetically.

"Are you alright?" she asked quietly.

Zap waved his paw idly, his eyes closed in pain. "Just a giant headache," he slurred, as he put a paw to stop the spinning in his head. Whirlwind touched her unicorn horn on Zap's head, and Zap froze instantly. It wasn't the fact that she was healing his head injury, but that she was she was so close to him that he could feel her breath on his skin.

When Whirlwind pulled away, Zap released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Zap looked over to her incredibly, and Whirlwind looked away from him embarrassingly, rubbing her arm.

"You can heal others?" he asked breathlessly.

"...Yes," she answered, still not making eye contact.

"That's awesome!" Zap shouted in awe, jumping to his feet. Whirlwind gave a faint blush to the praise, and though Zap noticed it, he didn't point it out. Zap let out a sigh, as he looked over the defeated pirates. "That takes care of them."

Whirlwind nodded, smiling at his open attitude; she may have only met him, but she already felt comfortable around him. "Alright," Zap spoke aloud, stopping her train of thought, "Now, do you have anywhere to go?"

Whirlwind realized she had no idea where she was, and ran over to the side of the ship, resting her paws against the railing for support. She looked around frantically, but couldn't find the beach in which her friends were at.

She gave a defeated sigh, looking at the waves below in sadness. Zap didn't like to see her so distressed, and tapped his chin with a finger in thought. He may not know where she was before she got captured, but perhaps getting Whirlwind to dry land would be a start.

"Hey," he exclaimed gently, and Whirlwind looked behind her with a frown. "I can show you to the nearest island. How about that?"

Seeing nothing else to do, Whirlwind nodded, and took to the air. Zap ran towards the side of the ship and hopped over the railing, falling towards the waves below effortlessly. When he dived into the sea, he swam back to the surface, and made sure Whirlwind had sight of him.

As she was hovering over him, Zap couldn't help but give a small smile. 'She is _truly_ beautiful,' he thought, 'And here I thought there was no love at first sight.'

Then shaking himself out of his thoughts, Zap swam on the surface, with Whirlwind following behind from above.

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Spyro trudged through the dense jungle that made up the island, his exhaustion showing on his face. Camo wasn't too far behind, his optimism and enthusiasm wearing thin on Spyro. They have walked around the island for only an hour, and Spyro was losing his patience. Camo had offered Spyro a piece of fruit to quench his hunger, but then had it explode in his face. What's worse is that Camo has been offering every five minutes since then.

The first time Camo tried, it got Spyro by surprise, but the other attempts failed as Spyro wasn't a fool. That didn't stop Camo from trying, over and over again.

"Hey, Spyro," Camo giggled, walking to the side of Spyro, "Want some fruit?"

"No," Spyro hissed, not controlling his anger very well, "I do _not_ want any exploding fruit."

"I promise I won't do it again," Camo pleaded, his giggling intensifying.

Spyro shook his head in exasperation with a sigh, and continued to walk in the jungle while ignoring Camo. Eventually, they broke out of the treeline, walking on the sandy shores of the island once again. Spyro sighed, "We made it through the island with no sign of Whirlwind."

"Maybe she wasn't washed to a different island," Camo mused, "Maybe she's still with the others."

Spyro was inclined to put in his own thoughts to Camo, but something in the distance had caught his eye. It seemed to be a bird, with the flapping wings, but the limbs that dangled below the figure said otherwise.

"Is that...?" Spyro trailed off, his eyes widening and a smile forming on his mouth.

"Whirlwind!" Camo finished, his smile growing as well.

They didn't have to wave her down, as she was heading this way already, but they did so anyway, their excitement showing in their frenzied movements. Before Whirlwind was close enough to land, a different person emerged from the water. This one walked out of the water and then stopped dead when he saw Spyro and Camo with their frozen dance.

They stared at each other for a long while until Whirlwind landed beside Zap. "Either I'm going crazy, or there are two dragons who _are _crazy," he said, pointing to Spyro and Camo.

Whirlwind giggled, and said with happiness, "Zap, these are my friends. That's Spyro and that's Camo." She gestured to each person as she said the name.

"Name's Zap!" he said overenthusiastically, waving to the two. Spyro and Camo at last broke free from their frozen states, and walked over to Whirlwind and Zap.

"Nice to meet you," Spyro greeted, giving a small nod, hoping to sweep the awkwardness from before away.

"Care for some fruit?" Camo asked slyly. Surprisingly, Zap shook his head.

"Sorry, I don't like fruit. Too juicy in my opinion," Zap declined kindly.

"Everyone loves fruit!" Camo shouted, making Spyro and Whirlwind roll their eyes and causing Zap to blankly stare at him.

"I guess I'm not everyone then," Zap replied good-naturedly.

Camo scoffed, and turned away, suppressing tears on the thought that he wouldn't be able to trick Zap the old fashioned way.

"Anyway, I think you're in good hands now," Zap said to Whirlwind, though slightly sadder than his usual upkeep mood. He turned away from the group, his head hung low.

'No point trying to have her stay here with me,' he thought depressedly.

"Wait, Zap, hold on!" Whirlwind exclaimed, and Zap complied, halting in his tracks and turning to her in confusion.

Whirlwind faced Spyro, who had equal confusion as well. "Spyro, you must have Zap join us," she announced. Zap turned toward the group fully, wondering what she could be getting to.

Whirlwind elaborated, "To make a long story short, I was captured by pirates, but Zap saved me from them and led me here."

Zap scratched the back of his head. "You helped a little too," he stated humbly

"Not by taking out a whole crew!" she praised, her face contorted with gratitude.

Spyro, his own smile growing, asked, "How 'bout it? Want to be a Skylander?"

Zap gazed at him with utter shock, his jaw slowly opening. "A S-Skylander!?" he stammered, "I would be honored!"

"Great!" Spyro expressed.

'Anyway to spend time with Whirlwind is fine by me,' Zap thought, looking over to Whirlwind.

"It is not great!" Camo interrupted, "How am I supposed to prank someone who doesn't like fruit!"

"You'll figure something out," Spyro deadpanned, and Camo fell onto his back in exasperation. Everyone shared a laugh at his shenanigans, and Zap could already feel at home.

"So how do we find our way back to our friends?" Camo asked everyone, getting back to his feet. Spyro and Whirlwind didn't know what to say. Spyro hadn't thought that far ahead in his plan, and neither had Whirlwind.

"There is only one other island on this... island," Zap announced, "I can lead you guys there if you want."

"Thanks," Spyro thanked, and Camo nodded appreciatively as well.

"Thank you, Zap," Whirlwind said quietly, but to Zap it was all he needed to hear to boost his moral tenfold.

"It's the least I can do!" he stated with pride, puffing out his chest, "Now follow me!"

The three Skylanders watched with amusement as Zap rushed towards the sea and dived into it. Whirlwind took to the air, already pursuing Zap. "How am I supposed to follow?" Camo questioned Spyro with a hint of nervousness, "I can't fly."

Spyro gave a scary grin, one that sent chills down Camo's spine. Before anything else could be said, Spyro hovered into the air, grasped Camo by the tail with his paws, and took off. Camo could be heard screaming for miles, and Spyro could only snicker at his sweet revenge.

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**And there you are! Now I have a small surprise for you all after the next chapter. Don't bother asking me what it is; I'm not telling. But feel free to guess!**


	17. Chapter 17: Wreck-N-Roll

**Shorter than my usual long chapters, but it's not like you can change it! In all seriousness, summer vacation isn't always a vacation. As usual special thanks to HadesNecromancer.**

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**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 17: Wreck-N-Roll**

Zap still couldn't believe how beautiful Whirlwind was. She was irresistible to the eye and he took full advantage of it. Sitting on the porch that held the Portal of Power, Zap peered over the railing, gawking at Whirlwind who was laying in the meadows, reading. Anyone who passed by would almost see hearts in his eyes, and that's exactly how Sonic Boom interpreted him as she walked by.

Spyro had left the Mess Hall feeling full, and stepped out into the warm afternoon sun. As he looked around, his gaze landed on Zap, who was staring at Whirlwind. Curious, he opened his wings and took off to investigate, and when he landed a few seconds later, Zap didn't indicate that he had heard Spyro.

"Uh, Zap?" Spyro called, giving him a strange look, "You alright?"

Zap did not respond, and instead gave a content sigh. Spyro walked to his side, and waved a paw in front of Zap's face. As he had predicated, Zap did not move, or even blink. Spyro chuckled, "Wow, you're really in love."

At those words, Spyro began to think deeply. Whirlwind and Cynder had a crush on him, but Zap has a crush on Whirlwind. If Spyro could find a way to get them together, then maybe he only had to worry about one person that loved him. It was slightly underhanded, but Spyro was too engrossed in his plan to think about it.

First, Spyro had to be absolutely sure that Zap really felt that way towards Whirlwind, and to do that he needed Zap's attention. With a sly grin, Spyro hovered a hand next to one of Zap's fins and flicked it. The reaction was instant, as Zap gave a heavy shiver, his whole body shaking.

He whipped his head toward Spyro, and glared at him. "Not cool," Zap said sternly.

"So, you are in love," Spyro accused playfully, jabbing a finger at Zap.

"Well, of course!" Zap exclaimed, his glare turning back to a relaxed state. "She's beautiful, humble, smart, gorgeous, and beautiful."

"You said beautiful twice," Spyro said, an eyebrow raised.

"That's because she's twice as beautiful!" Zap explained, his eyes looking towards the sky with love. "She is the fire in my soul, and the love of my life."

Zap was starting to sound a little too wishy-washy for Spyro, so he opted to speak before things got to out of hand. "So why don't you just tell her?" Spyro asked bluntly.

Zap's eyes widened in horror, looking around in hopes Whirlwind wasn't around. "What are you, crazy!?" he whispered frantically, "I can't just tell her! What would she think? What would she do?"

"You'll never know until you ask," Spyro replied cheekily, causing Zap to roll his eyes.

"Maybe next week... or month," Zap said with a sigh.

A thought occurred to Spyro, one that he had to ask. "You know, I never learned about your past," he admitted.

Zap gave a small chuckle, "Is it your obligation to learn about our pasts?"

Spyro smiled, "Might as well, right? I am the leader of the Skylanders."

"Fair enough," Zap nodded, "Alright where to begin..."

Zap rubbed his chin, and then an imaginary light bulb went off causing him to give a small smile as he spoke. "Well, I was once part of a royal family of water dragons somewhere or other. I was always fooling around, showing off, and such. But then this riptide took me away from all that, putting me in completely different waters."

"Wow," Spyro said in sadness, "That must have been rough."

"It was," Zap agreed, "I was lost and confused, but then this school of electric eels found me. At first, I tried to say hello, but got electrocuted for my troubles. Ha! Still, they felt sorry for me and took me in. I love them as much I loved my old parents. In time, I built this harness so I can wield electricity as well."

Spyro looked at the yellow harness that Zap indicated, and laughed lightly, "Make sure you avoid Drobot, or he'll never stop bugging you about it."

"Noted," Zap said, with a laugh as his own.

Suddenly, Eon's head popped out of nowhere in front of the two, being transparent as always, and scared the living day lights out of Zap. "Spyro!" Eon exclaimed, "Shade Alarm!"

"What is it this time?" Spyro asked seriously, as Zap caught his breath, putting a paw on his chest.

"An evil is lingering over at Gander Gorge," Eon explained, "I'll meet you at the Portal of Power."

"Right," Spyro nodded. Eon nodded back in kind, and his head shrunk until it disappeared. Zap was still looking confused at the Eon head popping up.

"I'm guessing that's normal," Zap figured pointing to where Eon's head was before.

"You get used to it," Spyro chuckled, then looking across the fields, "We need a third for the team."

Zap was about to speak up, but Spyro cut him off, "Besides Whirlwind."

Zap gave a glum look, and Spyro searched around for a capable candidate for the team. At that moment, Trigger Happy fell from the sky falling face first in front of both Zap and Spyro, twitching occasionally.

After staring at him a while, Zap looked at Spyro with a blank expression and suggested, "Why not Trigg?"

Spyro shrugged, and Trigger Happy jumped up, his smile impossibly big, while he also stumbled around from the impact. "I knew falling out of the sky would get me noticed!"

"Kind of hard not to," Zap commented, with a smug grin.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Gander Gorge was a tiny island, maybe the smallest in all of Skylands. It was only named because of its uniqueness. It was a canyon with the ends opened to the sky, like a half-pipe. At the top is where the group materialized from their teleportation. They turned their heads in every direction, looking for any sign of evil.

"Nothing," Zap muttered, almost disappointedly.

"There, there," Trigger Happy tried to comfort, patting Zap's shoulder, "I'm sure something will come around, it always does with us."

"I guess," Zap moped. Meanwhile, Spyro began to travel around, looking in every direction. Eventually, he looked down at the pits of the canyon, and narrowed his eyes.

"Him again," Spyro hissed with anger, and the other two ran to his side, gazing down as well. At the bottom of the canyon, stood a man with red robes and a wizard's hat, fumbling around in the dirt.

"Who's that?" Zap asked.

"he's the Wizard Ruber," Spyro explained, refusing to move his eyes away from the wizard. "He cursed Sonic Boom's children."

"You mean the Griffin?" Zap remembered, "I asked her about them, but she avoided answering it."

"You can thank him for that," Spyro said, nodding towards Ruber.

"Time for some payback!" Trigger Happy exclaimed jumping off the ledge. His eyes wide, Spyro reached out with his head and grabbed Trigger Happy's fur with his mouth, and yanked him back. He spit out the fur, glaring at Trigger Happy, who smiled sheepishly.

"We need to do this subtly, or he'll just get away," Spyro announced, looking at Zap and Trigger Happy each.

"How do we do _that_?" Zap inquired, his face in worry that the villain might get away.

"I know!" Trigger Happy said excitedly, waving a hand around, "I can sneak up through the dirt, and then jump him!"

Spyro pondered that plan and, remembering it was Trigger Happy, knew that he could pull it off. "Sounds good," Spyro acknowledged, "I'll confront him and you get him while he's not looking."

"Well that's all fine and dandy," Zap interrupted sarcastically, "But how am _I_ supposed to get down there?"

Trigger Happy took up a thinking pose, tapping his chin with a finger. Then, a wide grin crossed his face. "You can come with me!" he exclaimed, jumping up into the air.

Contemplating this, Zap stared straight ahead, eyes furrowed. Spyro chuckled at his reaction, wondering when Zap would snap out of his frozen state. At last, Zap shook his head, and gave Trigger Happy an annoyed look.

"No way, no how," he said defiantly, "Besides, can't Spyro just fly me down?"

"Unless you want me to hold you by your tail..." Spyro commented slyly.

Zap narrowed his eyes at him, "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Maybe a little," Spyro replied, closely pinching his fingers together to display his meaning.

Zap looked over to Trigger Happy with a depressing expression, but then widened his eyes to see a hole already there. Spyro, though amused with Trigger Happy's randomness, was still puzzled on how he dug a tunnel already.

Suddenly, Trigger Happy poked his head out, a small mound of dirt was placed perfectly on the top of his head. "What are you waiting for!?" he shouted, startlingly stern. "We have a foe to take down!"

Giving a defeated sigh, Zap followed Trigger Happy down the hole, muttering to himself about how unfair Skylands was. Spyro turned back towards the bottom of the canyon, working out a path of approach. When he had one set, he glided down as silently as he could.

He dropped down behind Ruber, who still didn't hear him at all. Spyro listened in on his mumbling, picking up stray words, "Potion... delicious... Grub Worm..."

It wasn't enough evidence to know what he was up to, but with a villain like Ruber, one did not need something to tell that he was evil. Taking a deep breath, Spyro released a fire ball at Ruber. Unfortunately, the fire ball bounced off an seemlessly imaginary wall.

Ruber yelped in surprise at the fire ball that nearly got him, and whipped around to see Spyro's surprised expression. "So, the Skylanders have found me, eh?" he snarled putting his hands on his hips.

"Did you really think we wouldn't find you eventually?" Spyro asked hotly, still wondering why his fire ball didn't work.

"Yes," Ruber replied, scratching his nose, "but at least I remembered to put up a shield."

Before Spyro could give a retort, Ruber looked at his wrist, as if there was a watch on it, and gasped, "Oh my, would you look at the time! I must be going!"

With anger, Spyro saw Ruber take off down the canyon and away from him, straight for a newly created swirling purple mass that was a portal. Spyro ran after him, determined to catch Ruber before it was too late.

Spyro had to think of a way to get by Ruber's shield, however. It only deflected his fire ball last time, perhaps using a melee attack would get different results. With a plan in mind, Spyro sprinted harder, slowly closing in on Ruber. He was only a few feet away from him, and he knew he had this in the bag, so he pounced in hopes of tackling him to the ground.

At that moment, distant screaming could be heard, which strangely came from one of the canyon walls. Zap shot out of the canyon wall hitting Spyro in the side and sent both of them sprawled to the ground.

Ruber was about to step into his portal, but looked back to laugh at their blunder. "How you became Skylanders is beyond me!" he yelled with glee, disappearing into the portal.

Spyro shoved Zap off, giving a furious glare at him, "What did you do that for?"

Zap was too busy trying to see straight, his eyes rolling around in his sockets. "I... he... sudden..." he slurred.

Trigger Happy jumped out of the hole Zap came out of, looking proud of himself, "Did it work, Zap? It had to work! It's a plan I came up with!"

At the voice of Trigger Happy, Zap shook off his dizzy demeanor, gazing at him with a mix of annoyance and wrath. "No, Trigg," Zap stated, "it did _not _work."

"Aww," Trigger Happy expressed, pouting slightly.

"You guys!" Spyro yelled at them, causing them to jump back a little at his outburst. "You let him get away! How are we supposed to get him now?!"

Devastated, Zap dipped his head low, "Sorry, Spyro, I messed up my first mission, didn't I?"

Seeing Zap so crestfallen made Spyro mentally scold himself for being so harsh. Spyro gave a sigh, rethinking his next words carefully. "Don't worry, Zap," Spyro reassured quietly, "We'll... we'll get him next time."

"Or right now," Trigger Happy commented, staring away from the group.

"What do you mean?" Spyro asked with puzzlement, looking at Trigger Happy. It wasn't necessary to ask, as Trigg was pointing at what he meant. Following his gaze, Spyro could see the portal that Ruber had used was still up; he didn't take it down when he had passed through.

Seeing that there was still hope, Spyro turned to Zap, who was just as impressed that the portal was still there. "Come on!" he ordered, already running towards the portal. Trigger Happy and Zap weren't far behind, and with no resistance at all, all three disappeared into the portal.

As soon as the three were on the other side of the portal, it collapsed on itself and vanished. forgetting that he was in enemy territory, Spyro observed his surroundings with curiosity. He was in a castle-like room, with dank brick flooring and walls. Various tables were strung around the room, and boiling potions sat on each one. A set of stairs, leading upwards, was in front of them with a small path through the tables leading to it.

"This is weird," Zap commented tapping a blue potion, which released some bubbles from the bottom. Trigger Happy sauntered over to a table that held a vial that contained green goo. Spyro, growing weary, walked over to him.

"Trigg," Spyro called anxiously, "I know what you're thinking..."

Trigger Happy didn't respond, his eyes glued to the potion. "Whatever you do, don't drink that potion. Are you listening to me?"

Trigger Happy turned around with a blank stare, "Nope."

And with that, he snatched the vial and downed the green goo in one gulp. Zap and Spyro gazed at him with wide eyes, a bit fearful at what Trigger Happy would become. Meanwhile, Trigger Happy licked his lips happily, rubbing his stomach while placing the vial back where he got it. It started out quietly, but low rumbling could be heard resonating from Trigger Happy.

"Oh boy!" Zap announced unnecessarily, "He's going to blow!"

Spyro and Zap dived behind a nearby table, peering over nervously. Trigger Happy, at this point was shaking uncontrollably, but he didn't seem to mind that his life could be in danger.

"Heeeey guuuuys!" he said through his shaking, his pupils shrinking, "Whyyyyy diiiid the woooorld turn into aaaaaa rainboooooow."

Then, expectantly, Tripper happy burped, ceasing his shaking instantly. It wasn't a Earth-shattering belch, but a small burp that was barely heard. Silence was all there was afterwards, as the Spyro and Zap stared at Trigger Happy, who was blinking rapidly.

"I wonder what the others taste like," Trigger Happy mused aloud, making his way over to another table.

"No!" Spyro shouted, his tone filled with worry, and he slid in between Trigger Happy and his destination. "We, uh, have to find the Wizard Ruber, remember?"

"Oh yeah!" Trigger Happy recalled, his face lighting up, "Alright, let's go!"

As Trigger Happy jogged over to the stairs opposite of where the group appeared, Zap whispered to Spyro, "I was expecting a tear in the fabric of space."

"As was I," Spyro confined, shaking his head in disbelief.

Spyro and Zap caught up with Trigger Happy, and the group quickly traveled up the stairs, their ears hardened to the slightest sound. As they neared the top, they could hear humming. And when they slowly looked over the top of the stairs, a wide room with little features was seen.

It held only a cauldron and a wizard throwing ingredients into it. Another set of stairs was opposite from the group's, heading to another room above. As Ruber tossed in another ingredient, he gripped a stick and began to stir the potion inside of it.

"Now," Ruber said to himself, "I just need to put in the Grub Worm, let it simmer for five minutes, and I'll have the most delicious stew in Skylands!"

"Not exactly evil, is it?" Zap whispered dryly, earning a giggle from Trigger Happy. Spyro still didn't want to believe it; did Ruber seriously just want to make food? It had to be a ruse.

Ruber extracted a jar from his robes, one that held a small blue Grub Worm that was about an inch long. Without any remorse, Ruber opened the lid and held it upside down, and the Grub Worm slide out and into the cauldron.

With a smile that Spyro found annoying, Ruber skipped out of the room, out the opposite set of stairs leading to the floor above. The group carefully snuck out of their hiding place, and gathered around the cauldron, looking inside of it.

What Spyro saw was absolutely disgusting; hair floating around, with green lumps of material that he wasn't familiar with. It smelled just as it looked, and Spyro would rather die than taste the potion.

"That," Zap stated, "has to be the worst looking stew I have ever seen."

"And the worst smelling stew ever," Trigger Happy added, pinching his nose.

"Well, maybe we can ruin Ruber's day," Spyro pondered aloud, a sly smile making its way onto his face.

"Like tip it over?" Trigger Happy inquired.

"Yep!" Spyro exclaimed placing his paws on the side of the cauldron. With smiles of their own, Zap and Trigger Happy joined Spyro and together began to push the cauldron in hopes of spilling the contents. It was heavier than it looked, and the three were giving there all just to get the cauldron off its legs.

Then, a peculiar sound entered Spyro's ears. It sounded like slurping, and mumbling. Was someone eating the potion? Just the mere thought of someone eating that stuff made Spyro gag, but he had to find out. Ceasing his pushing, he looked into the cauldron again, Zap and Trigger Happy did the same, also wondering what the noise was.

A large Grub Worm, as big as any of them, looked back with large eyes. With a yelp of fright, the trio jumped back, and the creature bounced out of the cauldron his tongue hanging out the side.

"Food! Food! Food!," it repeated endlessly, jumping around the room. The group could only watch with amazement as it did so.

"Was that the Grub Worm that the wizard threw in?" Zap asked, pointing at the creature as it zipped about the room.

"I believe so," Spyro answered, nodding.

It then halted right in front of the three, tilting its head to the side in interest. "Food?" it questioned, tilting its head to the other side.

"Okay," Zap informed, "It either wants some food, or thinks we are food."

"Let's hope it's the former," Spyro said, backing slowly away.

At that moment, Ruber returned the same way he came, but his jaw had dropped. Not only was he surprised that his meal was eaten by a giant Grub Worm, but that the Skylanders were here as well.

"Why do you people ruin everything!?" he shouted, gripping his beard in anger.

"Part of the job," Zap explained slyly, stepping to the side to see Ruber past the Grub Worm. The Grub Worm, turned to look at the wizard, his eyes growing wide and he salivated from his mouth.

"Food..." he said, shuffling over to the wizard in a trance. Ruber stared at the Grub Worm for a second, than realizing what he meant, waved his hands in front of him.

"Get away from me you stupid worm!" he exclaimed, his hands pulsating with magical energy.

"Uh, Spyro?" Zap inquired with reservation, and Spyro gave a nod for him to continue. "Should we help the wizard before he's eaten?"

Spyro scratched the top of his head, wondering what would be better. On one paw, letting this Grub Worm eat Ruber would benefit Skylands considerably. In the other, it wouldn't help Sonic Boom free her babies from their curse.

"Sick him, boy!" Trigger Happy yelled happily, pointing at Ruber and taking the choice out of Spyro's paws.

After being given permission, the Grub Worm opened his mouth wide and an abnormally long, sticky tongue shot out. It stuck itself to Ruber's front, and then it reeled in quickly while Ruber was screaming his lungs out. When he was close enough, the Grub Worm swallowed him whole.

Spyro was stunned, evident by his stasis frame. Zap was also in the same state, staring at the Grub Worm with his mouth hanging open. Trigger Happy, however, was laughing hysterically at the scene.

'Did that Grub Worm do what I think it did?' Spyro thought with a grimace.

Then, the Grub Worm puked Ruber up, who was covered in bile. The Grub Worm wiped his tongue hastily with his paws, his expression in pure disgust. "Nasty! Tastes like Warthog!" he whined.

Shaking out of his stupid demeanour, Zap gave a sympathetic expression. "So he tasted just as bad as he smells?" Zap commented, wrinkling his nose, "That's understandable."

Ruber, who was examining his ruined robe with revulsion, struggled to his feet while shaking with fury. "You stupid Skylanders!" he bellowed, and he summoned red orbs to throw at the Skylanders.

"Heads up!" Spyro warned, and Ruber began throwing an endless amount of projectiles. Spyro and Zap jumped to the side to avoid them, but Trigger Happy remained behind, wielding his dual golden guns with a confident grin.

Before the projectiles came any closer, Trigger Happy began shooting them out of existence. His shots were enough to keep Ruber busy, as Spyro and Zap flanked him from both sides. Seeing them coming, Ruber stopped his attack on Trigger Happy and started throwing them at the two.

Spyro and Zap didn't have time to get out of the way, and each got a good amount of hits. They both retreated back when they got the chance, while Trigger Happy covered him with his weapons. Ruber halted his attack, and a brief break was given to each side.

The Skylanders and Ruber was breathing hard, mostly from overexerting themselves, and everyone was thankful for the pause. Than an idea popped into Ruber's head, and he began weaving a complex spell with his hands.

Noticing the inevitable attack, Spyro unleashed a large amount of fire at Ruber, who accepted the attack with his shield still protecting him. Spyro had forgotten that he had the shield up, and knew time was of the essence.

"Quick! Stop him!" he ordered to the other Skylanders, and the three charged while the Grub Worm was still busy cleansing his tongue. It was all for naught, as Ruber had completed his spell, and the Skylanders and the Grub Worm disappeared in a white flash.

With the Skylanders gone, Ruber analyzed what had happened to him that day. He was humiliated in front of his enemies, eaten by a giant Grub Worm, and covered in bile.

"I really need to reexamine my life," Ruber grumbled as he stormed out of the room.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Master Eon stepped out of his tower, giving a warm smile at the scene that presented itself. Hugo was signing the last document with Flynn, surrounding them were multiple statues depicting passed away leaders. Most were Mabu, as they were the most common in Skylands, but other types of species were also present.

As Eon approached, Flynn took notice, and adjusted his goggles that rested on his forehead. "Master Eon," he said, "I see you come to admire my work at delivering your statues."

Eon chuckled, "I suppose that is partly true. I also came to make sure that they were not destroyed."

Flynn scoffed, "That would never happen. At least, not on my watch."

Hugo shook his head, and handed the signed documents to Flynn, who threw it into his hot-air balloon nonchalantly. "So if there isn't anything else you need me for," Flynn said, backing towards his hot-air balloon, "I have some ladies to see."

He entered his ride, and began to rise away from the island, leaving it behind. Just before he was out of sight, a bright light flashed in the center of the group, causing Eon and Hugo to shield their eyes. When it died down, four figures were all groaning on the ground.

"Skylanders!" Eon exclaimed in surprise, "I did not think I summoned you yet."

"Not really our fault," Spyro commented as he shakily stood to his feet, "We ran into the Wizard Ruber, but he teleported us away before we could get him."

Eon stroked his beard, muttering, "I need to come up with an anti-teleportation spell some day."

Not hearing his musings, the Skylanders were about to leave, until they heard a familiar grunting noise. Turning, they realized that the Grub Worm had came with them. The Grub Worm was looking at his surroundings, seeming afraid that he was suddenly in a different location. Trigger Happy clapped his hands to his cheeks, and ran over to the confused Grub Worm and hugged it

"Can we keep it?" he requested in a childish manner. Spyro rolled his eyes at Trigger Happy's usual randomness, but actually considered the action of recruiting the Grub Worm.

"Oh my," Hugo spoke, adjusting his glasses. "How did that Grub Worm get so big?"

"Experimentation," Zap answered simply, grinning at suppressing the details.

"He is rather unique," added Eon, narrowing his eyes; the Grub Worm seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't put his finger on where.

Trigger Happy was still giving the group puppy-dog eyes, and Spyro knew he wouldn't hear the end of it if he didn't say the correct words. "Alright," Spyro submitted, giving a deep sigh.

Squealing, Trigger Happy hugged the Grub Worm harder, but it still didn't react to him. "Are you hungry?" Trigger Happy asked in a high voice, as if speaking to a lost dog. The Grub Worm, meanwhile, froze, staring off into space with wide eyes.

"Uh oh," Zap said with a hint of fear, "I think Trigg just said something he shouldn't have."

He was right, of course, because at that moment, the Grub Worm zipped right out of Trigger Happy's embrace, and was rolling around the area. He was easily avoiding the Skylanders and others, but the statues weren't to lucky. He was bouncing off of them like a pinball machine, breaking each one as he did.

When they were all in shambles, he halted right in front of the group, jumping around on his feet. "Isn't he great?" Trigger Happy inquired without any care for the destruction the Grub Worm caused. The others were in total shock, wondering how Eon would behave to having his statues destroyed.

However, it was not needed, as Eon was laughing heartily. "Now I remember!" he expressed with a large smile, "He reminds me of my favorite childhood pet."

Eon walked up to the Grub Worm, petting it fondly, "I think the best name for him would be Wrecking Ball. Don't you all agree?"

"Wrecking Ball like!" the Grub Worm shouted with glee, pushing himself into Eon's hand.

"Aww," Trigger Happy groaned, sagging slightly, "I wanted to name him!"

Spyro walked up to Wrecking Ball, his mind set on one question. "Do you want to be a Skylander?" he asked, somewhat knowing the answer already.

"Yes! I will a Skylander!" Wrecking Ball announced, "As long as there food!"

"Don't worry, friend," Spyro reassured, patting his shoulder "there's plenty."

At that moment, a shadow fell over them, making everyone to look up to see what was causing it. It was Flynn's balloon again, and he was looking down with a distraught expression. "Come on!" he shouted with displeasure, "Do you know how long it took to deliver those statues!? A week! That's how long!"

Zap would have laughed with the others, but there was someone he wanted to speak with first. Before he could leave, though, Spyro stopped him, noticing that he was about to go. "Where are you off to?" he inquired, a sly grin creeping on to his face.

"Just a certain beautiful dragoness," Zap replied with a content sigh at the end. Spyro laughed again, and Zap briskly made his way to the library, where he assumed the love of his life was.

Trigger Happy sidled over to Spyro, watching Zap head off with a bit of confusion. "Where is he going?" he asked Spyro, pointing at the fleeing Skylander.

"To stare at Whirlwind from afar for hours on end," Spyro summed up.

"That seems like a waste of time," Trigger Happy commented, "Well, see ya. I need to needlessly do something before the chapter ends."

Before Spyro could inquire what he meant by that, Trigger Happy took out his two golden guns, and did a cool pose. Spyro could only describe it as one that he would probably never see again; it was that awesome.

* * *

**I bet you guys are excited about the surprise that will be coming up next time. I can't assure you that you will all be overly impressed, but I think you guys will appreciate it. Hopefully. As a final note, I'm looking for some fan art for the cover of this story. A recommendation would be nice!**


	18. Chapter 18: Rare as can Be

**So here's the surprise! Initiate fireworks and confetti! **

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 18: Rare as can Be**

Sunburn turned the page of the book he was reading, completely absorbed in its contents. It was about the rare species throughout Skylands, and he was on the part about hybrids. It was so well detailed and gripping that he couldn't put it down. However, if one reads in the Ruins' fields, than one should expect interruption.

Camo came over to prank Sunburn at first, but found himself reading over his shoulder at the book. It lasted several minutes until Sunburn felt a presence just behind him. He slowly turned his head, and came face to face with Camo. Giving a yelp of surprise Sunburn jumped back with his book, giving him a look incredulous.

"What book is that?" Camo asked casually, oblivious to Sunburn's bewildered look.

Shaking it off, Sunburn returned over to Camo with the book, "It's about rare creatures, I thought I would find something interesting."

Camo snatched the book out of Sunburn's claws, and quickly skimmed through the page he was on. Looking back up, Camo gave Sunburn a smug grin, with eyes half closed. "And it just so happens that hybrids are here as well?" he asked knowingly.

Sunburn rolls his eyes, but a smile did creep on to his face. "Just a coincidence," he brushed off, grabbing the book back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to read alone."

"Alright, alright, jeez," Camo mumbled, backing away with annoyance. He wasn't looking where he was going, and, unfortunately, bumped into Whirlwind, who was passing by. She squeaked in surprise and whipped over to see who it was, while Camo did the same.

Seeing who it was, Camo smiled, "Hey, Whirlwind."

She looked away, playing with her fore legs, "Hello... Camo."

Though Camo was a prankster by trade, he had explicitly avoided pranking Whirlwind. She was too sensitive and kind to really do anything to her without repercussion. Although, Spyro wishes he had the same treatment as her.

Whirlwind peeked over Camo's shoulder to see Sunburn reading his book, and came over in curiosity. Camo saw where she was going, and giggled quietly, seeing as Sunburn would never be able to finish that book. "What are you reading?" Whirlwind inquired, reading over his shoulder.

Sunburn gave her a sideways glance, and groaned quietly, "It's about rare creatures," he answered bluntly, turning his attention back to the book.

"Like hybrids?" she followed up with an innocent smile.

Camo couldn't hold it in any longer, and his laughing could be heard between the two. Whirlwind raised a brow at his antics, and turned back to Sunburn with confusion. Seeing what he was laughing about, Sunburn let out an irritated sigh, and closed the book.

"I don't think I'll be finishing this today," he said more to himself than the other two.

"Skylanders!" Eon's head popped in front of the group. Luckily, they all were used to Eon's sudden appearances, and didn't freak out. "Shade Alarm!"

"On it!" Sunburn nodded, and took off with Whirlwind before Eon even disappeared. Camo looked at them with perplexed expression, tilting his head to the side. Sunburn halted in his tracks, and Whirlwind followed suit, and turned around with urgency. "What are you waiting for!? Let's go!"

"But doesn't Spyro handle these usually?" Camo pointed out, "Let's just wait until he comes to pick us up."

"But Master Eon summoned us specifically," Sunburn shot back with a nod from Whirlwind, "He wouldn't have done that unless Spyro was busy."

Camo made to retort, but he caught himself; he couldn't argue with logic like that. "Good point," he replied, and he ran after the other two toward Eon Tower.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The three Skylanders arrived at the Portal of Power on the porch, with Master Eon waiting as patiently as ever. When the three gathered around, Eon spoke with high regards, "Now, for your mission is to investigate this strange occurrence on an unnamed island."

"Sounds easy enough," Camo commented with a smile, as Sunburn thought about what Eon had said. Unnamed islands were aptly named for being insignificant floating chunks of earth. Some of them don't even have vegetation of any kind. Why an evil entity of any magnitude would be there was a mystery on its own.

"Not entirely," Eon explained with a wave of his hand, "This evil presence is... unusual."

"In what way?" Sunburn questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Eon stroked his beard thoughtfully, "The best way I can describe it is a presence with evil and, at the same time, no evil."

"Alright, so it's going to be hard," Camo said with a cringe.

"So we're going to have to go in with caution?" Whirlwind asked.

Eon nodded, "Precisely. You might see a giant mutated monster, or a rabid bunny."

Camo sighed while dipping his head, and the other two Skylanders eyed him with a hint of confusion. "Fine, it could go either way," he reluctantly admitted.

"That's probably the best description," Eon chuckled, "Now, are you ready, Skylanders?"

"Ready!" the group exclaimed simultaneously.

They hopped onto the Portal of Power, and Eon said a few unfamiliar word. The normal bright light enveloped them and they transported away. When the light dimmed to allow Eon to see again, he stroked his beard again in thought.

"I suppose now's a good time to order those statues of Skylands' leaders," he mused to himself, "Hugo will never stop bringing it up until I do."

Chuckling quietly, Eon made his way inside his tower, wondering if the statues would even arrive the same day.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

When the group of three flashed in existence at the unnamed island, they all took a gander at their surroundings. It was a small island, with small patches of grass scattered around. All in all, it was barren, with nothing that would be considered evil.

"All clear," Sunburn announced unnecessarily.

"No kidding," Camo replied dryly, taking a few steps forward, "Ya think Master Eon was pulling our leg?"

"A prankster being pranked?" Whirlwind summed up with a sly smile, walking towards his side.

Camo gave a quick laugh, "That'll be the day."

Sunburn wasn't in the mood to add to the discussion, his senses perked for whatever may come. Master Eon had said that something would be here, whether it would be of little threat, or a very hostile enemy. The area yielding nothing at all worried him; Eon was rarely wrong.

"Now what do we do?" Camo asked the group, walking over to the edge of the island.

"Not sure," Sunburn shrugged, "Maybe call Master Eon to take us back."

"Uh, guys," Whirlwind called staring at something in the ground.

"Sounds good to me," Camo agreed, looking over the edge and ignoring Whirlwind.

"Guys," Whirlwind tried again, not taking her eyes off the object.

"Wanna eat some fried chicken when we get back?" Sunburn asked as he stared off nonchalantly.

"Eh, why not," Camo responded with a little care.

"Guys!" Whirlwind shouted, and the other two looked over to her in surprise.

"Jeez," Camo said walking over to her, "You don't need to yell."

Whirlwind gave him a stern look, which he returned with a stunned expression. Laughing nervously, Camo averted his gaze, trying not to make her angrier then she already was. Sunburn also came over to her, asking, "What is it, Whirlwind?"

She shook her head to clear her ill intentions towards Camo, and focused on the round metal object that she stood over. "I found this," she showed, pointing at the object.

"Is it a button?" Sunburn inquired lowering himself down to the object's level. Upon further examination, he could tell that it was attached to the ground, or buried somewhat. It was cylindrical, and was made of stainless steel.

"If it is a button," Camo spoke up with a bit of glee, "I call pushing it."

Sunburn looked at him with a bored expression, and Camo looked back with a blank stare. "I don't think we should be pushing random buttons in the middle of nowhere."

"What's the worst that can happen?" Camo replied, smiling like an idiot.

Sunburn couldn't take it any longer, and facepalmed. "And now you just jinxed it," Sunburn confined, and Whirlwind gave an exasperating sigh.

"You guys are no fun," Camo huffed, waving his paw around. If he was paying attention he would've noticed where he placed his paw. Whirlwind looked back at the button and gasped, and Sunburn and Camo followed suit.

Camo had accidentally pushed it down.

"Oops," he chuckled sheepishly, as the other two glared at him. At that moment, a metal cage shot up around them, containing them before they even knew it. A top even slid into place, so they couldn't just fly out.

"Trapped like rats," Sunburn muttered, gripping the bars of the cage.

"I didn't think we looked that bad," Camo commented, looked at himself with a look of puzzlement.

Before Sunburn could shout at him for not understanding a figure of speech, a low chuckle resonated around the area, immediately catching the Skylanders attention. A piece of the ground opened up and a panel raised a figure to the surface.

"Delphino!?" Camo blurted in surprise. He was right, as the troll with the Slouch hat and large rifle stood there with a smug grin.

"They said I could never catch you," he laughed as he strolled over to the cage, "Can't wait to show them. Ha!"

"You do realize we can use our powers still, right?" Sunburn deadpanned with a lazy gaze.

"And that's why I have _this_!" Delphino announced, extracting a strange vial full of pink powder. The Skylanders stared at it with puzzlement, and Delphino chuckled at them. "What? Never seen sleeping powder before?"

"That won't help you!" Camo shouted, getting ready to use his breath attack. However, before he could, Delphino poured some of the powder in to his hand, and blew it into the cage. The Skylanders instantly felt the effects of the colorful dust, as they began to sway back and forth with droopy eyes.

"You think this'll work?" Camo asked groggily, yawning afterward. "I just need a cup of coffee and I'm good to..."

He couldn't finish that sentence as the fell onto the floor, fast asleep. Whirlwind did so a little while later, but a lot more elegantly, as she laid on the floor before falling asleep. Sunburn was using all of his willpower to stay awake, but the powder was too potent to pull through. So, unfortunately, he too fell asleep.

Delphino chuckled, his hands on his hips in a superior manner, "Finally. I caught the Hybrids."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

When Sunburn came to, his head was pounding terribly in his head. As he groaned, nursing his head, he opened his eyes a smidgen to see his surroundings. The first, and most obvious, thing he noticed was that he was in a cage. One that did not hold Whirlwind or Camo with him. With that realization, he jumped to his feet, and whipped his head around quickly searching for his friends.

"Whirlwind! Camo!" Sunburn called, gazing out of the cage. He saw hundreds and hundreds of other cages, about the same size as his, and all stacked on each other to form a wall of them. He himself was a few meters away from the ground, but that wasn't really important to him right now. "Where are you guys!?"

"Uh..." a familiar voice resonated beside Sunburn's cage, "Five more hours, mom."

"Camo! Is that you?" Sunburn asked desperately, putting an ear to the wall where the voice came from.

"Sunburn? When did you become my mom?" Camo asked back, shaking the sleepiness out of his head.

Sunburn sighed, and muttered, "Yeah, that's Camo alright."

"Where are we?" Camo followed up, peering out the bars of his own cage.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Sunburn answered, looking out as well with wonder. "It looks like a warehouse of some sort."

"And the cages?" Camo asked.

"To hold creatures?" Sunburn replied with a shrug, "Beats me."

Camo looked at the cages individually. Some of them held creatures he had only seen in books, and others were just plain empty. "I have a feeling that this is a zoo for rare animals," Camo said nervously.

"So why are we here?" Sunburn inquired, looking at the wall separating him and Camo.

"Because we're rare," Camo said with a weak chuckle.

"Brilliant."

"Sunburn? Camo?" called out a timid voice somewhere below the two. In surprise, they both stared down at the floor, as if a window was there.

"Whirlwind?" they guessed at the same time.

A small giggle rung out, "It's me."

"You alright?" Camo asked in concern, his mind trying to remember what had happened before their sleep.

"I'm fine, but..." she hesitantly mumbled. This made Sunburn and Camo grow slightly alarmed. "There's a lot of trolls here."

With curiosity, the pair attempted to look to the ground floor, and though they succeeded, it wasn't a very pleasant sight. Many trolls, wielding guns, were patrolling in a long row, going back and forth like a two-way street. "That," Camo emphasized, "could be a problem."

"First things first," Sunburn reminded, "we have to get out of these cages."

"Let's just use our powers then!" Camo yelled with glee, he opened his mouth wide and summoned his Sun Burst breath. However, when he exhaled, nothing came out. His face contorted with worry and puzzlement, he tried again with the same results.

"I can't use my powers!" Camo announced to his friends. Hearing this, Sunburn and Whirlwind tried as well. They were just as surprised to see that they couldn't use their powers either.

"What do we do?" Whirlwind asked desperately, feeling distraught.

"Calm down, everybody," Sunburn attempted to make sure no one panics, although he himself was just as worried. "We just need to think."

Sunburn tapped his chin thoughtfully, as Camo slumped onto the floor. Whirlwind sighed and did the same, though a lot more scared. "Great, just great," Camo mumbled, but Sunburn was able to catch it. "Captured and trapped in a cage."

"Well, maybe if you didn't step on the button," Sunburn vented, growing frustrated at not coming up with a plan. "then we wouldn't be in this mess, would we?"

"Hey, don't pin this on me! It was an accident!"

"Don't try to come up with another lame excuse! You always think nothing bad will happen. Well, guess what? Bad things happen all the time!"

"Maybe if you weren't distracting me, I wouldn't have stepped on the button!"

"That's not the point!"

"Then what-?"

Whirlwind sighed, and stammered, "Can you guys stop? Arguing won't help anybody."

Sunburn took a deep breath, his anger slowly disappearing. "You're right, Whirlwind," he admitted, "We can't just stay here and bicker."

"I'm sorry, Sunburn," Camo apologized, shaking his head in remorse, "If I didn't step on that button, none of us would be here."

"Don't worry about it," Sunburn consoled, "Look on the bright side: we found a warehouse full of rare creatures that can be freed."

"If we can escape," Camo added. Suddenly, Sunburn came up with something that might work. It was strange how he hadn't come up with it in the first place.

"Say, Camo," Sunburn whispered to him, in case anybody was listening in. "Can you fake stomach aches?"

"Of course!" Camo scoffed, "I do it to have people fall into my pranks."

"Good," Sunburn acknowledged, nodding needlessly, "Do it now."

"What are you... Oh! I see!" Camo chuckled, and jumped onto his back. In seconds he was groaning loudly, and crying out in fake pain. It was so bad that Sunburn had to cover his ears, hoping that Whirlwind would do the same.

In time, a troll on aerial lift elevated from the ground floor until it was level with Camo's cage. The troll saw Camo clutching his stomach in pain, and rolled his eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked in a lazy tone.

"My stomach hurts," Camo whined, facing away from the troll.

"Well, let me see," he requested rudely. Camo didn't comply, still groaning and whining annoyingly. The troll gave a defeated sigh, and brought out a large key and unlocked Camo's cage. Before the cage door could even open fully, Camo charged through without warning, and the troll stumbled off the lift.

Camo ran to the ledge just in time to see the troll fall face first into a group of trolls at the bottom. As soon as he did, the two lines of trolls halted in place, and gazed upward.

Right at Camo.

"Oh boy," Camo muttered, and utter chaos ensued. The trolls were yelling and screaming, swarming the aerial lift that Camo stood upon. It was shaking and wavering from the extra weight, and it could come down at anytime.

"Camo!" Sunburn called, snapping him out of his revery of the incoming trolls, "Give me the key, quickly!"

Camo snatched the key that the troll had dropped and tossed it to Sunburn's outstretched paw. He caught it, though he almost dropped it, and shoved the key into the padlock. An audible click was heard, and the door swung open, indicating it was unlocked.

Sunburn flew out, staring with worry at the climbing trolls. His eyes landed on Whirlwind's cage, just a few cages lower than themselves. A plan formulated his head quickly, and he looked back at Camo with determination.

"Camo, you get Whirlwind out of the cage, I'll handle the trolls," he ordered, tossing the key at Camo, who caught it.

"R-Roger!" Camo stuttered, the sheer amount of trolls getting to him. Sunburn gave one last nod, and dove down towards the trolls. He hovered a little away where they were climbing and began to pick them off, one by one, with his flame breath. This proved that the cages were holding back their powers, so he didn't have to worry about it being taken away again. His powers were effective enough to have them fall down, burning, but there was simply to many to take them all down.

The trolls were even getting smart enough to fire back with their guns, forcing Sunburn to duck and weave while retaliating with his own attacks.

Meanwhile, Camo was slowly climbing down the lift, with the key firmly in his mouth, the fear of falling bugging him to no end, especially after what Spyro did back at Crabby Island. Still, he had a friend to save. He finally made it to Whirlwind's cage, and she was restless at being trapped in one place too long.

"Come on! Hurry!" she rushed, eyeing the climbing trolls warily. Camo didn't answer, giving a small squeak of fright when he accidentally peeked at the trolls.

'I better not die from this,' he wished to himself, 'If I do, I'm going to haunt Sunburn!'

He extracted the key from his mouth, and slammed into the padlock hurriedly. As soon as the cage was unlocked, Whirlwind burst through the cage door, and almost knocking Camo off his handhold.

Seeing this Whirlwind hovered next to him apologetically, "Sorry about that."

"Don't look down, don't look down," Camo whispered to himself, sweat leaking from his forehead. Whirlwind looked down at Sunburn, who was becoming incredibly tired from his attacks. A troll got lucky and jumped on top of Sunburn, who yelped in surprise. He tried to shake him off, but he wouldn't let go. Soon enough, other trolls were getting the same idea, but instead grabbed his legs and tail.

Sunburn was slowly descending into the troll madness, and knew he wouldn't make it if he got any closer. Suddenly, a rainbow beam, shot each troll off in quick succession, allowing Sunburn to quickly rise back away from the trolls. Looking over, he could see Whirlwind wave sheepishly next to the hanging Camo, who was clutching the side of the lift for dear life.

"Can we go home now?" Camo pleaded, but Sunburn shook his head.

"We have to find Delphino, or he'll just keep capturing innocent creatures," Sunburn confined, furrowing his brow.

"Alright, fine!" Camo shouted, "Just get me down!"

Whirlwind grabbed Camo by his paws, and kept him afloat, while Sunburn quickly surveyed the area. An exit was on the other side of the wall, where no cages rested, could be seen. Thankfully, it was troll-free as well.

"There, head to that door!" he yelled to Whirlwind, while pointing at it. Whirlwind nodded, and the two dived to gain speed while lowering to fly right through the exit. At that moment, a troll grabbed Camo's tail.

"Ouch!" he shouted, as he glared at the troll in question, "Why you little..."

He shot a Sun Burst at him, and the troll let go in surprise and pain, causing Camo to laugh at the troll's reaction. In time, the three flew through the door and landed, and when they did, they quickly closed the doors. Camo allowed some vines to enclose the door as Whirlwind and , making it inaccessible for the trolls.

"That won't hold them for long," Camo explained, "We need to think up a plan if we're going to find Delphino."

"You don't have to look any further," called a familiar voice. The Skylanders whipped around to see they had made it to the outside, with grass growing all over. Delphino stood there with his large rifle in his hands. He wasn't alone, however, as a few other trolls were there as well, including...

"Kildan!" Whirlwind shouted more in surprise then actual anger.

"Ah ha!" he yelled in triumph, "So you remember me!"

Camo smirked, "Kind of hard not to forget an ugly face like that."

Kildan stood in silence for a second, then, turning to Delphino, he said, "I believe he's talking to you."

Delphino rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Whatever, I'm only here for the pay."

"You'll get your gold for capturing these hybrids _after_ they are back in their cages," Kildan said in fury. Then, pointing a finger at the Skylanders, he shouted, "Attack!"

All the trolls charged except for the leader and hunter, wrenches gripped tightly in their hands. Camo made a wall of watermelons grow in between the Skylanders and trolls. When they were close enough, he let them explode, knocking the trolls to the ground.

With the distraction, Whirlwind and Sunburn surged forward for the battle. Sunburn breathed a stream of fire at a few trolls catching them on fire, then followed up with a teleportation in the center of the group, blowing up when he reappeared.

Whirlwind sent a tempest cloud in another group of trolls, shocking all of them except one who was running at her with wrench hanging over head. She took this one out with a blast of rainbow energy, sending him over the edge of the island.

Camo went swiftly by the fighting, heading straight for Delphino. Delphino, seeing him coming, brought his weapon to bare and fired at him. Camo jumped to the side, but the attack still hit him, albeit only grazing him. Camo prepared to use a Sun Burst attack on him, but Delphino shot at him again and hit him in the leg.

Camo fell to the floor in pain, but forced a vine of vegetables to grow towards Delphino, exploding around him like firecrackers. Delphino was disoriented from the attack, but still aimed at Camo the best he could. Sunburn, after finishing his own battle, went to Camo's aid, and shot another stream of fire at Delphino.

The troll dived out of the way, and Kildan laughed at his dismay. However, Whirlwind was charging at him, and shot a rainbow burst at him, which knocked him over the side of the island as well. Everyone stared, wide-eyed, at what Whirlwind had done, and even she was apprehensive; she didn't mean to do that.

However, at that moment, Kildan hovered back into view, with an air balloon underneath him.

"I'll be back!" he exclaimed while shaking a fist at them, "And you'll be sorry!"

"Hey, wait for me!" Delphino cried out pathetically, running to the edge and jumping off. He caught a rope that was hanging off the basket of the air balloon, and it floated off. Seeing that she didn't actually kill Kildan, she breathed a sigh of relief, as Camo was narrowing his eyes at the leaving balloon.

"Aren't we going after them?!" he inquired angrily at the other two Skylanders. Whirlwind jumped a little at his outburst, but Sunburn remained calm, looking over at him.

"We have to report this to Master Eon, Camo," Sunburn explained casually, "About the operation of rounding up rare creatures, and the trolls."

Camo sighed, gazing at the ground with sadness, "I guess you're right."

"We'll get him next time," Whirlwind promised, cheering Camo up slightly.

"For now, let's go home and get some help for all of these trapped creatures," Sunburn announced, earning nods from the other two. "Take us home, Master Eon."

They disappeared in a blinding light, and the scene was empty and tranquil once again.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Little did the group know, a door at the other end of the warehouse was left unopened as the trolls cleaned up the mess, mostly sweeping away bodies with push brooms. Behind the closed door, however, was a unique creature that has never been seen in the history of Skylands.

Suspended in a container full of water, was a dragoness. But like the rest of the creatures in the warehouse, this dragon was rare; she seemed to be made up of crystals and gems, and was sleeping in a comatose state. The container was hooked up to a Large crystal that glowed from an unseen light.

Suddenly, the light began to flicker, until it dimmed into a blank, useless crystal. The container was unchanged for a few moments, but then an abrupt crack starting from the bottom, one that didn't go far, but was foreboding. The creature inside did not react to the sudden crack, but her eyes did shoot open with a determined glare.

* * *

**I think you guys can guess who that was.**


	19. Chapter 19: Blinded by the Light

**Alright, before you guys read, I have a shout out to make. This is to HadesNecromancer's brother, Daniel, who is apparently my biggest fan. It's also his birthday, so happy birthday, I suppose. Well, now you can read!**

* * *

**Skylanders: Origins**

**Chapter 19: Blinded by the Light**

Having a group of Skylanders in one part of the Ruins can mean many things. It could be as simple as just hanging out, or as violent as a versus match. In this case, it was the latter, and the Skylanders were having fun with it. Many of the Skylanders watched as a two vs. two match played out before their eyes. Chop Chop and Cynder, both in Undead, against Stealth Elf and Flameslinger, both that disagree with each other endlessly.

How that team was formed is still a mystery.

"My gold's on Stealth Elf and Flameslinger," Gill Grunt said nonchalantly in the bleachers with the other Skylanders. "Can't beat skill."

Spyro shook his head, "Chop Chop has skill as well, and they have teamwork."

Terrafin snorted as he crossed his arms, "And the fact that Cynder is on the same team has nothing to do with it?"

Spyro laughed sheepishly, and the other Skylanders got a good chuckle out of it. Whirlwind didn't, however, wondering if Spyro had more feelings for Cynder than herself. Not that she minds _too_ much, as her crush for him has dwindled over the many weeks since she had joined. Zap noticed her reluctance, and frowned slightly; he wished he knew what was on her mind.

"I predict a seventy-nine percent chance that Chop Chop and Cynder will win," Drill Sergeant said, causing Drobot to nod to those odds.

"There's only one way to find out," Bash exclaimed to the other Skylanders, "So close your traps and watch."

In the ring, things were going either way. Though Chop Chop and Cynder had the advantage of power and flight respectively, Stealth Elf and Flameslinger had finesse. Flameslinger shot another flaming arrow at Cynder who easily flew past it and breathed electricity at him. He jumped to the side to avoid it, shooting three more arrows Cynder's way. She flew back to get away from the attack, looking for another moment to strike.

Chop Chop and Stealth Elf were going at it, exchanging blows left and right. Though they haven't even hurt one another, their blades met each other quickly and were going as fast as lightning. Stealth Elf jumped back, and made a decoy that went straight for Chop Chop as she turned invisible. Not seeing it as a trick, Chop Chop sliced right through, and Stealth Elf jumped at him, becoming visible with her daggers at the ready. Chop Chop, seeing that it was a decoy, brought his shield up, barely blocking her attack. He pushed her back, and Stealth Elf did a back flip away from him.

"Cynder, take Stealth Elf," Chop Chop ordered, a plan beginning to form in his head, "I'll take Flameslinger."

"On it," Cynder complied, diving straight for her as Chop Chop ran for Flameslinger. Aiming his bow, he sent arrow after arrow at him. Chop Chop easily blocked them with his shield, and even sliced right through an arrow with his sword.

Flameslinger's jaw dropped, and mumbled, "Well this'll be fun."

When Chop chop was close enough, Flameslinger sent a barrage of arrows to the sky, and they began to fall toward Chop Chop. He brought his shield up, protecting himself from the arrows, but noticed that Flameslinger was making a ring of fire around him.

"Take this, sucker!" Flameslinger cheered as the ring was completed, sending a column of fire where Chop Chop once stood.

"Wow," Sonic Boom commented casually, "Overkill."

When the flames dissipated, though, Chop Chop was still standing, shocking Flameslinger. "How the heck did you-?" he started.

"I just stepped out of the ring," Chop Chop interrupted before charging towards him.

"Get your head in the game!" Stealth Elf shouted, having trouble dodging Cynder's attacks.

"Like you're one to judge!" Flameslinger called back, ducking out of the way of one of Chop Chop's swing. He put some distance between him and shot more arrows at him, but again, Chop Chop easily blocked them. "Let's trade partners again."

"You can handle him!" Stealth Elf scolded, but then a bolt struck her arm, causing her to grunt as she dodge rolled to the side. At that same time, Chop Chop had closed the distance between him and Flameslinger and hit him with the blunt side of his sword.

Flameslinger fell to the floor, groaning in defeat. Chop Chop turned his attention to Stealth Elf. He ran forward as he shouted to Cynder, "Get ready to strike, Cynder!"

She nodded as Stealth Elf focused on Chop Chop, mentally face palming at Flameslinger's inability to keep up a fight. When he was close enough, Stealth Elf jumped, bringing her daggers down on him. Her daggers clashed with his blade, and they were locked there for a second.

"Now!" Chop Chop ordered and Cynder dived for Stealth Elf, grabbing one of her arms as she swooped down. Stunned by the sudden move, Stealth Elf flailed about uselessly, and before she could come up with something, Cynder dropped her.

Right onto Flameslinger who had just stood up, earning a squeak from him after the impact.

"And the winner is," Drobot said, gesturing toward Chop Chop and Cynder, who landed next to him.

"Nice work," Chop Chop commended, giving a small nod toward his partner.

"Same to you," Cynder returned.

"That was awesome!" Trigger Happy exclaimed, wearing various merchandise of Chop Chop and Cynder. "That'll totally make the readers happy! I"m sure of it! Do it again, I forgot my camera!"

Spyro rolled his eyes, but then focused on the pair, "Good work, I think that's enough practicing for today."

"That was the only fight though," Gill Grunt pointed out, scratching his head.

"Can't work ourselves too hard," Spyro retorted with a grin. Gill made to argue, but thought better of it and dropped the subject; it's hard to win an argument over the leader.

The other Skylanders began conversing freely with each other as they made their way across the bridge. Bash, Chop Chop, Stealth Elf, Flameslinger, and Cynder stayed behind.

"Very well done," Bash said as he approached the winning team, "What was the advantage?"

"Definitely flight," Chop Chop expressed, checking over his gear for any noticeable marks, "Couldn't have won without it."

"Yeah," Cynder agreed, facing Bash fully. "I mean, most enemies can't fly, so it's great for all forms of engagement."

At hearing that flying had assisted the team to win, Bash felt broken and useless. He dipped his head low, and Cynder saw it with a hint of confusion. Though she had learned much since her freedom, she still had trouble with many expressions. Luckily, Chop Chop was standing right next to her, prompting her to speak to him.

"What's wrong with him?" Cynder whispered to Chop Chop, who looked over to Bash with his ever persistent gaze.

"Depression," he answered with a shrug, turning back to his sword and shield.

"Shouldn't we help him?" she inquired, feeling distraught at not doing something about it.

Chop Chop sighed, putting his blade and shield on his back as he faced her fully. "There's nothing we can do," Chop Chop commented, "I've seen this more times than I can count. Believe me."

With that said, he walked past her to the bridge, leaving the training grounds. Cynder gave one last glance at Bash before flying for her room.

"I think you can get off now," Flameslinger gasped, the air knocked out of him.

"...I think I'm paralyzed," Stealth Elf explained, still not moving an inch.

"Well, shoot."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Later that night, as the Skylanders slept peacefully in their dorms, Bash crept out of the Earth Tower. He strolled over to his favorite spot - behind the tower near the edge of the island - and sat down. Turning his gaze to the night sky, his mind began to wonder.

Every night since he had joined the Skylanders and arrived in the Ruins, he had snuck out at night just to stargaze. It was soothing for him, seeing all the twinkling lights that were forever stationed in the sky. He especially came out when he had trouble sleeping, which usually was when he was reminded that he couldn't fly.

Why is he cursed to be this way? To have no wings, yet be tormented with the happy friends that could. He may have met other dragons who couldn't fly, but they didn't care if they could fly. He does.

Giving a long sigh, Bash frowned deeply with sorrowful eyes. The stars were always there to comfort him; always there to share his woes. He never felt cozy expressing this to his teammates, perhaps because he feared they would think he was weak. He saw one star in particular, one that stood out from the rest.

It was bright, not blindingly so, but enough to be noticed quickly compared to the rest. It also moved silently across the sky, revealing what it really was. "A shooting star," Bash whispered, his eyes following it. He closed his eyes, keeping his mind clear as he made one faithful wish. One that everyone knew, but couldn't grasp how much he wanted it true.

"I wish... I could fly," he said, barely more than a whisper. He opened his eyes again, feeling the depression eating away in his sides. The shooting star was still present, but it was bigger than before, causing Bash to tilt his head. That's never happened before.

Suddenly, the shooting star could be seen heading for the ruins. It wasn't a shooting star at all, as Bash gaped at it. It was a meteorite! Before Bash could comprehend why or how such an object was hurdling straight for his home, it crash landed in the meadow, leaving an earth-shattering crash.

Bash snapped out of his stupor and made his way for the impact site, determined to see what had crashed. As he neared the crater, he couldn't help but see the glowing white light that resonated from the meteor. As he peered warily into the crater, he saw a geode, or a rock laced with beautiful crystals, in the wake of the destruction.

Curiosity had him by the reins, but Bash wouldn't stray any closer to the geode as it pulsated with light. At that moment, a sharp crack appeared, followed by a chain reaction of more cracks and fissures, as the geode became covered in them. Then it split open, to reveal to Bash the most beautiful thing in the universe.

A dragoness made up of crystals.

She was inside the geode the whole time, sleeping by the looks of her closed eyes. To Bash, he has never seen anything so beautiful. He was in a trance as he gazed over to her, his heart soaring to new heights; his flying problem long forgotten.

Then, she woke, her eyes slowly opening as she faced away from Bash, having not noticed him yet. Bash slowly walked down the crater, his eyes glued to this new creature. Then she turned towards him, their eyes meeting, allowing Bash to see her brilliant silver eyes.

"Hello," Bash said, as it was the only thing he could come up with on the spot. It seemed to be the wrong thing to say, however, as the crystal dragoness glared at him, her eyes narrowing. She pointed her tail over her head at Bash and shot a powerful neon green laser that hit Bash square in the face. The attack sent Bash sailing out of the crater, but he was unfazed as he was still love-struck by the dragoness. He landed painfully on his head a short ways away, rendering him unconscious.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

After Master Eon persuaded the new creature that they were not a threat and when Bash got a little first aid, they allowed her to rest in the library until she was ready to speak. But she was reluctant to speak, keeping silent. Whether it was because she didn't want to or because of the new strangers that asked her, they didn't know. Spyro, Eon, and Bash were the only ones in the room with her; the other Skylanders heading back to bed to fall asleep again.

She just lied there, not making eye contact with the others. Though Spyro didn't want to rush things, he was desperate to know where she came from. Eon was patient, as always, knowing that nothing came right away. Bash was, well, distracted, to say the least, by the beautiful dragoness.

Tired of the quiet demeanor she put up, Spyro addressed the girl at last. "What's your name?" he inquired, starting simple.

The dragoness looked up to him with a hint of interest, blinking faster than normal. "Flashwing," she muttered, facing down again.

Spyro nodded, "Okay, Flashwing, can you tell us why you were in a meteor?"

Flashwing simply shook her head, refusing to look up at Spyro again. "You won't," Eon inquired wisely, "or can't?"

"I... can't," Flashwing reluctantly stated, making Spyro and Bash to glance at each other in puzzlement. "I... can't remember."

Bash thought for a moment, then spoke quietly, "What _do_ you remember?"

Flashwing sat up straight, closing her eyes as she concentrated. "I can remember pain... and loneliness. Shouts of anguish mixed with yells of discontent. And the letter 'Y'."

Eon stroked his beard, giving a low hum at this information. Bash was a bit saddened that she can only remember uncomfortable things. Her mysterious past was unsettling, but Bash didn't care. It drove him to want to help her, and the thought of being around her assisted in that venture.

"I must research what you have told me," Eon informed, nodding in her direction. "In the mean time, you may rest in the Earth Tower, since you seem to hold the power of Earth."

Flashwing nodded, "I can handle myself in a fight."

"Maybe she can become a Skylander," Spyro added. Flashwing raised a brow at that, and Spyro explained what a Skylander was. Bash was only half listening, his mind wandering to other thoughts.

First, Flashwing was utterly beautiful; Bash was certain of that point. Second, he felt as if there was something he forgot that was important to her in some way. Third, Flashwing's ominous mental reflection was interesting, and made Bash want to find out more. Fourth, she was beautiful; beyond doubt.

Before he knew it, Spyro had finished his explanation, and Flashwing was filled in on what the Skylanders stand for. Now, Bash was instructed to lead her to her sleeping quarters, since he lived in the same building.

"Yeah, I can do that," Bash nodded, already heading out the door. Flashwing followed silently, not giving a backwards glance. Spyro and Eon watched them leave, curiosity rolling around in their heads.

"What do you think of this?" Eon asked Spyro, turning to face him.

Spyro shook his head, "She seems harmless, and innocent if anything. If she's able to take out Bash in a single hit, than she's more than capable of being a Skylander."

"That's not exactly what I meant," Eon explained with a smile, "That's your reasoning in here." He tapped his head. "What I want to hear is what's in there." He pointed to his heart.

Grasping his meaning, Spyro went deep in thought for a while, his face somewhat grim. "Bash loves her," he said, "That's quite obvious. And she seems great to be around."

Eon chuckled, "That it is."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Bash was resting on his bed, but he couldn't get any sleep yet again. It wasn't because of his inability to fly; far from it. He felt guilty that he couldn't help Flashwing in any way, and it haunts him.

He rubbed his head, soothing the small headache from lack of sleep. The only way to resolve this was to talk with her again. With no other option, he got out of bed and opened his door, heading for the stairs that lead to her room.

As he stood upon the door, he became unsure on how to approach. Did she even want to talk at all? What if she attacked him again? Before Bash could stop himself he knocked on the door. Scuffling could be heard on the other side, and soon the door swung open to reveal Flashwing.

"Can I help you?" she asked a bit rudely, but Bash knew he probably woke her up.

"I... er, I mean, you are..." he had never been so flustered in his life. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, how are you?"

Flashwing shrugged, "Fine, I guess. Why?"

Bash's cheeks involuntarily blushed; he had a reason, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to share his feelings right away. "I... saw how sad you looked," he lied, "and wanted to make sure you were alright."

Flashwing rolled her eyes, "So did Spyro and Master Eon. Why didn't one of them come?"

Bash mumbled something inaudible, and Flashwing raised a brow. "What was that?" she asked, turning her head to have her ear face towards him.

Bash mumbled a bit louder, but it was still difficult to hear. "One more time," she requested, her annoyance building.

"I said you look nice," he blurted, then slapped his paws over his mouth. Did he really just say that? What would she think?!

Flashwing blinked, stunned by the statement as she began to blush herself. "Thank you," she squeaked out, "you, um... look nice yourself."

Bash let out a chuckle at how awkward he had made things. His eyes faced downward, and he noticed something on her foreleg. From Bash's point of view, it resembled the letter 'Y', branded on her diamond skin. "What's that?" he inquired, gesturing towards it as the scene from before disappeared in his mind.

She looked down at what he meant, lifting her leg to see more clearly. "I don't remember," she admitted, staring at it. "Maybe my birthmark."

"Odd-looking birthmark," he grunted, his eyes narrowed. It looked suspicious; he's never seen a birthmark like that before.

"Huh," Flashwing noted, giving a blank gaze at the birthmark as if she had never seen before. "Kind of looks like a tower from my view."

That was the moment when something clicked inside of Bash, his eyes widening. "A tower?" he said, jumping to her side as he looked at the birthmark. Sure enough, the 'Y' upside down did look like a tower. A tower that Bash had seen once before.

"Come with me," Bash ordered, "I think I saw this before."

Flashwing jerked back at how dark his tone was, but tailed him as he left her room. In little time, they had made their way to the library, the lights coming on as they entered. Bash was swinging his head left and right, trying to recall where he had seen it before. He ran to a bookshelf, skimming through the titles. Sometimes he would pull one out, but dismiss it by putting it back where he had found it.

Flashwing was still confused about how Bash had seen her birthmark before. She had figured that it was unique to her, though she didn't have much time to think about it. And why did he care at all? She had only arrived about an hour ago, and he's already spending time trying to help her.

"Ah-ha!" exclaimed Bash, smiling slightly with the book in his paws. Flashwing joined him at his side, looking at the open book that he had gotten. The page was mostly taken up by a large picture of a tower that looked like an upside-down 'Y'.

Pointing at it excitedly, Bash faced Flashwing with vigor in his eyes. "This is the Yapper Enterprises Headquarters," he explained, "I found out about this a few days ago. It's a company that manufactures chairs."

Flashwing raised a brow, looking a bit confused. Bash sighed, "I don't know where the name came from, but that's what it's known for."

"Well, what's it got to do with me?" she asked, but she already knew the answer.

Bash pointed at the mark on her leg again, "It's no coincidence that you have a mark that resembles a tower and a letter at the same time. My guess is that the answers lie at this building."

At the prospect of finding her origins, she gave a large smile, one that filled Bash's heart with pride and joy. He has never felt a better feeling before, even after saving the Quickwings. "Alright, let's go!" Flashwing practically cheered, bolting for the door.

"Whoa, wait, what?" Bash babbled, shaking his head clear. "We're going _now_?"

"Yeah, why not?" Flashwing replied, a hint of disappointment that was like a dagger to Bash's heart. Faltering, Bash looked away; the reason he was so reluctant is that he would be going with her to a new place, which would require Eon to be awake. And it was the middle of the night. Plus, they would be going through together. Alone.

"Well... we need the coordinates," Bash explained nervously, "and we can't wake Master Eon at this hour."

"Wrecking Ball help!" another voice shouted, before charging through the doorway. This startled Flashwing more than Bash, seeing as she was pretty close to the door. Lucky that she was off to the side, or she would have been ran over.

"Wha-? Wrecking Ball?" Bash said, dumbfounded that this Skylander, out of all of them, was the one who was eavesdropping.

"I know way to Yapper!" he exclaimed excitedly, bouncing around the room. Flashwing smiled at that, and Bash gave a sigh of relief; he didn't have to disappoint her after all.

"How will we get there... Wrecking Ball, right?" Flashwing inquired, patting the Skylander's head.

Wrecking Ball gave a large grin, "Master Eon make order of chairs from Yapper while ago! We go!"

"Sounds good to me!" Flashwing beamed, looking over to Bash with happiness. Bash gave a small smile back and nodded. She nodded back, and turned back to Wrecking Ball, "Lead the way, buddy!"

Nearly bursting with excitement, Wrecking Ball rolled into a ball and took off for the stairs that lead to the Portal of Power. Bash and Flashwing followed behind at a much more calm state.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

A few seconds later, the three were standing in front of the building that resembled the picture that Bash had found. It was much taller than the both had thought it would be, and was pretty much covered in glass windows. They found out that HQ of Yapper Industries was in the middle of Unicorn Peak. Though Bash had not visited the city itself, he did hear the adventure that Spyro, Whilrwind, Trigg, and Gill Grunt went through. What was also peculiar is that it was still open at this time of night; many people entering and exiting like it was normal.

"This is the place, huh?" Flashwing asked, staring at the top of the tower.

"Yep," Bash answered, looking at the top as well.

"Then, where do we start?" she inquired, looking over to Bash. He continued to gaze upon the building, his eyes narrowing.

"The head honcho himself," Bash muttered. Flashwing suddenly had chills at Bash's tone; why was he so serious suddenly? Before she could ask, Bash began walking for the building. She and Wrecking Ball joined him and the three entered the building.

The ground floor was humongous, easily taking up the entire floor, with many Mabu and other species running around. The three made their way to the stairs - Bash didn't want anyone to get in the way - while avoiding running into other people. When they arrived at the stairs, they quickly climbed them to the very top until they reached the door that said 'CEO/President: Rover'.

"How did you know he would be at the top?" Flashwing asked, curiosity overriding her desire for answers at the moment.

"Basic instinct," Bash replied ominously with a sly smile, causing her to roll her eyes. Turning his attention to the door, Bash readied himself to take the door down. However, someone tapped him on his shoulder, causing him to look over to see Wrecking Ball.

"You going to take down door?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Yes," Bash answered, then he remembered his name, "would you care to do the honors?"

Wrecking Ball didn't respond. Instead, he crashed right through the door, making the occupant yelp from within. "What!? Why did you do that?! Get out of my office!" the creature roared from the other side. Bash and Flashwing ran in and saw the one in charge of the company was a seadog!

Rover wore an elegant black suit with a red tie, and had slick, greasy fur. He was chasing a laughing Wrecking Ball around the room, and halted in doing so when he saw the other two occupants that had entered. Bash was completely stunned; how did a seadog become in charge of a large company like this?! They hardly leave the life of a pirate!

"You're Skylanders, huh?" Rover snarled, facing them fully as Wrecking Ball halted a ways away. "What do you want, besides tearing down my door."

Bash changed his expression from shock to anger when he remembered he wasn't the one who desperately wanted answers. "Do you know who this is?" he inquired, gesturing toward Flashwing.

Rover gave a glance at her, and jumped back in fright, his eyes wide with horror. "Y-You've returned!" he stammered, taking a few steps back, "B-But I made sure you were taken care of!"

"What do you mean?" Flashwing said, growing impatient and aggressive.

"I... I can't say anymore," Rover muttered, giving frightened glances around the room. "He might be watching."

Having had enough, Bash charged forward and knocked Rover down as stood on his stomach. "You will tell her what she wants to know," Bash threatened, his snout only inches away from Rover's. "or else."

"Alright, alright!" Rover caved in, sweating like a pig. "I'll talk! Just get off of me!"

Bash complied, but kept a wary eye on him as Rover pushed himself to his feet. Brushing himself off, he began to explain. "A couple of years back, when I was only a pirate lackey, my crew and I raided a small village near the border of Skylands. Most of the inhabitants had fled the place, but the captain found a small dragoness there. The captain took her without a word, and kept her hostage; said something about a ransom. Anyway, a few hours later I was contacted by a strange voice in my head. He told me he can grant me power and such, and that I only had to take the girl."

Flashwing and Bash were hanging onto every word. Even Wrecking Ball had stopped his silliness to listen. "I did what he said, and took the girl with a life raft to a large warehouse, where rare creatures were held. The voice told me to give the girl to the trolls that worked there, and when I did, the voice commanded the trolls to give me a large some of gold. So I started this company, and named it after my father, Yapper. All was normal again. Until about a week ago, after my company had grown in wealth, the voice contacted me a second time, and told me to go back to the warehouse."

Flashwing had a blank stare, so Bash had no idea what she was feeling, but it couldn't be good. "The warehouse was a mess, since you Skylanders had found out the operation. But before you guys came back to clean up, the girl I had found had escaped, and was rampaging around the area. So, with my gold and power, I ordered any bounty hunters to capture her, and bring her back. In only one hour, a bounty hunter had returned with her incapacitated, but didn't ask for gold. I couldn't believe that she changed into a crystal dragoness. Anyway, I branded her with my company logo and sent her to work in the mines underneath this building."

"You low-life scum," Bash hissed, seething at how Flashwing was treated.

"Do you want to hear the rest or not!?" Rover whined, shriveling up a bit from Bash's gaze. "Anyway, a week later, she was starting a revolt down there, and I had to deal with it. So I took her, washed her memory, and stuck her in a rock that was sent into space. Even the voice didn't want her anymore."

Flashwing was at the point of tears. Though she couldn't remember a thing, listening to a story like this was heartbreaking; it was a fate that no one should have to go through. Bash was a bit reluctant to continue, but pushed on anyway. "Where did she get her name?"

"The other slaves called her that," Rover explained, "since she didn't have a name at all."

Flashwing snapped, lunging forward and knocking Rover over again. Her teeth were bared and her tail was poised to strike at him. "How could you do that to a young girl!?" she yelled in his face, "Do you have a cold heart!? How could anyone treat someone like that!?"

"Flashwing..." Bash whispered, but Flashwing caught it and turned to him, her eyes quivering. She then leapt off Rover and hugged Bash, holding him tight. Bash was stunned that he was suddenly in a hug, but didn't question it as he returned the favor. Flashwing couldn't hold it anymore as she allowed tears to fall.

"You make friends cry," Wrecking Ball growled, his face contorted in anger. "Wrecking Ball make you pay."

Before anyone could get a word out, Wrecking Ball turned into a ball and barreled right through Rover, who landed next to his desk with a thud. He picked himself up, his expression one of rage. "Okay, that's it," he started, his nervousness suddenly disappearing, "I've had enough of you Skylanders."

He went behind his desk and equipped two swords, one in each hand. "Now it's my turn for some payback."

Bash and Flashwing released themselves from their hug, having watched the scene, and got ready for a fight. Wrecking Ball shot his tongue for Rover, but he took his a foot and stomped onto the tongue. Since it was elastic, when Wrecking Ball retracted his tongue, he was headed straight for Rover. When he was close enough, Rover kicked him with his other foot, releasing the tongue at the same time. Wrecking Ball went sailing and slammed into the wall behind Bash and Flashwing.

They gaped at their hurt friend as he slid back to the ground, unconscious. Turning their attention back to the enemy, they had a new-found anger toward Rover, and they were ready to get a bit of revenge.

"You're going to pay for that," Flashwing growled, and she charged forward. Rover swung his swords, but Flashwing ducked under them, and sent a barrage of Crystal shards. Rover got hit by most of them, but was able to deflect the rest with his swords, backing away as he did. Bash saw his chance and ran at him, and swung his tail against his legs, knocking Rover down.

He followed up by summoning a giant stone to shoot out of the ground, right into Rover's back. He shot up and landed painfully on his stomach. As Rover was stumbling to his feet, Flashwing began to spin around, spreading her wings out wide, and went straight for Rover. Not seeing it coming, he got multiple deep scratches all around his body until Flashwing stopped her attack and jumped back.

Rover looked to be on his last legs. It was obvious he wasn't good with the swords, and finishing the fight would be easy. Wanting to end the battle, Bash ran forward yet again, and swung his tail. Unfortunately, Rover saw it coming, dropped a sword, and caught his tail before it could make contact.

Bash was pretty much defenseless, and Rover took advantage of it by using all of his strength to throw Bash right through the window, shattering the glass to pieces. A horrifying expression was on Bash's face, as he knew that he was doomed without flight.

Flashwing gasped and instinctually rushed for the window, taking flight when she reached the edge. Bash was falling, and everything was a blur to him. He thought that his life would flash before his eyes, but nothing appeared. In fact, the only thing he _could_ see was a flash of crystals and light.

"Bash!" Flashwing called, snapping him out of his reverie. He saw that Flashwing was flying just above him, reaching out for him, "Hold out your paw!"

She was going to save him, that's what Bash knew, and it was all he needed to know. He reached out his paw for Flashwing to grasp. The ground was becoming closer and closer, but, thankfully, Flashwing caught him just in time, hovering a few feet from the floor. Releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding, she placed Bash on the ground, and landed by his side.

"You alright?" she asked worriedly.

Bash chuckled, "I think I can survive crashing through a window."

Flashwing smirked, "But not a twenty story drop."

"That obvious?"

They both had a good laugh at that, but Flashwing was truly glad that Bash was not extensively injured. As for Bash himself, he was somewhat glad he didn't have to fly for the first time in his life.

"So... am I a Skylander now?" Flashwing asked suddenly, catching Bash off guard.

Thinking about it, Bash knew the answer from the start, "Yeah, I suppose you are. Got to get Spyro's permission first though."

Bash was couldn't believe she wanted to be a Skylander; she would stay, and he couldn't be any happier.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Dang it, he survived!" Rover cried out, throwing his arms in the air. His swords were on the long-forgotten desk, as he looked down below to the Skylanders. "I guess it's time for me to get out of here!"

Suddenly, wild giggling was heard right behind him, causing him to lock up. Turning around slowly, he was face to face with Wrecking Ball, who was hopping around excitedly.

"Uh, hey there, little guy," Rover said nervously, "No hard feelings?"

"You talk to much," Wrecking Ball concluded, and charged him right out the window with his rolling attack.

Sure, it was a long way down, but there was a coincidentally placed cart of chair cushions he landed in. Of course, the force from the fall was still enough to knock him out. What was truly strange, however, was the Trigger Happy was the one pushing the cart, waving happily to Bash and Flashwing. The two Skylanders had watched the event with bewildered expressions, but quickly brushed it off.

Trigger Happy was weird like that. So was Wrecking Ball, when they thought about it.

* * *

**I guess you guys weren't thinking I would put a Giants' character in this story so soon, and to be honest, neither did I! I listen, you guys, and I'm actually looking forward to the next person to be presented. 'Tis a surprise, per usual. EDIT: Thanks to a random guest who pointed out I spelled "Wrecking" to "Wreaking". most appreciated!**


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